The Wedding of the Boy Hero
by omniFAIRYous
Summary: Poor Ginny has to plan the wedding of Harry Potter. The problem? Besides the obvious emotional struggle, the identity of the bride is unknown. Harry Potter decided to keep it anonymous. Grr for him. WEDDING now, Yay!
1. Prologue

Akcy! Very sorry! I had deleted the first post when I thought I had organized something wrong. When I was first finished with this, I had continued into the first chapter, so yeah. Had little problems. The first chapter is in the process of being finished . . .

Story in response to the odd Ginny and Harry relationship, as well as the reply for a very uncharacteristic finish to a Spanish story for school. (The teacher was crazy.) The fic is to be purely based on emotions and thoughts from Ginny. I just thought it would be horrible for Ginny since she likes a person who thinks of her as a little sister. And now, she has to think of him as nothing but a client.

The Wedding of the Boy Hero (Subject to change --- any help is appreciated. Anything to change the horrible title. This is even worse then my other title. *winces*)

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Even the plot is triggered by a story prompt from my Spanish class. Though I would like to thank Ms. Rowling for her lovely gift of introducing the Harry Potter characters to everyone in the world. 

~*~*~

Prologue 1: Rainy Days and Memories

            The rain poured at the world from the gray clouds above. A slender redhead wrapped in thick sweaters and hugging a mug of hot chocolate sat by the windowsill looking at the people hurrying to do their last minute Christmas shopping. Living in the inner part of London had its perks. There was nothing boring about the city, a definite no. Procrastinators are always seen on the streets going from shop to shop, whether it be Christmas shopping, or looking for a suitable anniversary present.

            Ginny Weasley loved the city. It was a welcome change from her countryside home and the solitary characteristics of Hogwarts. Excitement had always been apart of her life. Before Hogwarts, her six brothers kept life exciting. In her first year of the magic academy, her mind was taken over by a Dark Lord (that memory the poor girl wished to forget), and the rest of her seven years, Harry Potter's struggle against the Dark Lord occupied most of the girl's mind. Come to think of it, the boy who became famous due to a scar made Ginny's life interesting. She grew up listening to the heroic tales of an infant and went to school with her closest brother being best friends with that same hero. Maybe that's why the messy-haired Boy who Lived caught Ginny's attention. Who wouldn't want to be noticed by someone made immortal by the tales of his life?

            The attraction to the extraordinary didn't make Ginny like Harry Potter. Rather, she knew it was false when she first laid eyes on him. Harry Potter was a normal human. At his first year of Hogwarts, and he needed the instructions to get to the Hogwarts Express. The summer after, Harry had spent a few weeks at the Burrow. Ginny had certainly embarrassed herself to no end, and what was the point? If she didn't seem so star struck, perhaps she might be considered a friend, instead of the little sister of a friend. Maybe then, the famous boy would feel something different for her other than brotherly love.

            "Well, there is no time for regrets now," Ginny whispered to herself. A beautiful envelope decorated with elegant engravings sat near the now grown woman. The envelope was the epitome of wedding invitations. Well, not really. It was more of an invitation for an event planner to plan a wedding.

            The Boy who lived to defeat the Ultimate Dark Lord had broken every single girls' hearts when the Witches' Weekly caught wind of a rumor of an engagement. Certainly there were girls who were confident they still had a chance, or like Ginny, skeptical of all rumors. But that painfully beautiful letter brought the heart wrenching reality to life. Indeed, Harry Potter was to be married . . . and Ginny Weasley, is to be the honored wedding planner.

~*~*~

Prologue 2: Everything that I do for you . . .

            Sometimes Ginny thought Harry purposely hurt her, or at least make her feel uncomfortable. In the formal gatherings she was forced to attend (her father became a high ranking Ministry official), Harry was keep her company and make her like, no no, definitely love him even more. Their conversations were happy, and Harry would tease her endlessly about her love life, or lack thereof. The times he visited the Weasley family were not any better. He would actually flirt, or what Ginny thought was flirting. Now, the horrid hero is asking for her to plan his wedding!

            The adjective "horrid" was quickly crossed out. No matter how difficult he unknowing made Ginny's life, she was still happy to have him around. It wasn't his fault he chose Ginny. After she planned Ron and Hermione's long awaited wedding, people had begged for her to plan their own. The simple "do it yourself" rule for Ginny had created an award-winning wedding. Even Narcissa and Draco Malfoy had given her a compliment – and that was something extraordinary since Malfoys never speak to a Weasley unless it was an insult. Lucius Malfoy didn't say anything since he was still full of his pride (which bloated since he fooled the Ministry and the Dark Lord of where the Malfoy loyalties laid during the war) but he did grunt in approval.

            Now Ginny had to get create large chest for the mail asking for her to plan a wedding, sometimes even other galas. Since she was still in school to learn more about magic in general, there were few requests she could actually concede to. Though even with the one or two she plans a year, the payments she receive are enough to pay for her tuition and for a flat in London.

            "Dear Harry," Ginny begins.

            _I must say I am surprised about this announcement! There were no talks of a special girl during the Halloween dinner. We did say you were not romantic enough, but please. Hurrying into marriages is not a good thing. And I quote mum on this._

_            Anyway, of course I will plan this wedding of yours. We need to meet sometime to discuss what you would like to be done. You know, the usual floral arrangements, location of the event, how many guests, and obviously the date. _

_                                                                        Good Wishes for You and your future bride,_

_Ginny Weasley_

            Ginny whistled for her pet owl to come and tied the letter to her legs. The owl looked at Ginny unhappily about the weather conditions and sent a disgruntled hoot to question her mistress's sanity.

            "Oh hush Mimi. It is a letter to Harry about his wedding. And we know weddings are not to be delayed." The owl grunted, if it was possible, and fluttered off. A half an hour later, Mimi came back with Harry's reply.

            "Hallo Ginny," the redhead read,

            _Why don't we talk about this during the Christmas dinner at the Burrow tomorrow? Since the rest of the bunch will question me to death, you can join them too. I will try to explain everything then._

_            Merry Christmas, and please sleep. Saint Nick will not visit you unless you are tucked in your warm bed._

_                                                                                                A nervous __Harry Potter_

~*~Finis for now~*~

Just some notes from the very odd author . . . 

I must say this is something different from what I usually do. So for all the readers, this is bound to be somewhat slow at times since I have never written something like this. But as you are reading this, I am editing the next chapter or writing for chapter two. As for my other ongoing ficcies: I happen to be stuck half way though in the fourth chapter of Only in Fairy Tales, and the others are in pending since I am waiting for all my betas to reply (but I think I may get impatient and just post soon . . . seeing as I leave for a vacation in snowy areas in one week.) 

**Please review and help me with ficcies that are purely emotions and fluff.** I am going to need serious help with romantic stuff since I am can't tell a romantic dinner from trip to a fast food restaurant. Either way, my stomach gets queasy.

Though please don't hurt me. *whimper*


	2. Christmas!

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: Own zilch. If I did own Harry Potter, would I be writing fanfiction about it??

_Important Note Beforehand: _The new character I am going to introduce seems a bit Mary Sue-ish. But please don't get mad. This is based on Ginny's life . . . only the new girl makes things more complicated. Not to mention I cannot find any canon characters that fit the job description. If you can give any help, please e-mail me or something.

~*~*~

Chapter Two: Christmas!!!

Christmas day approached with no snow in the city. Ginny awoke with the excited hooting of her owl. _Must be her Christmas presents_, Ginny though wryly. She dragged herself off the bed and away from the warmth under the covers. She had a hyper owl on her hands and it's Christmas after all!

It turns out Mimi had taken the precedence of ripping apart the wrapping paper of her own presents . . . as well as some gifts to Ginny from her more associate-like friends (all of the presents from Ginny's family and friends were sent to the Burrow). The ball of fluff sat in the middle of the pile of presents and wrapping paper. Suddenly, an unknown owl dropped the Daily Prophet into Ginny's lap, causing Mimi to become indignant and hostile making the poor delivery bird fly away.

Opening up the newspaper, the Witches' Weekly had their gun pointed at Harry – like what they do every time. The front page was dedicated to holiday recipes and decorations. Though one column was for Harry Potter: _The Boy Who Lived Has Tied the Knot_. Ginny ignored the story and preceded to look for new recipes she should collect. However, right next to the section on festive desserts, a large picture of Harry, a girl, and Malfoy that signaled the beginning of the Harry Potter story. The caption said the girl in the between Harry and Draco would be the next Mrs. Potter.

Aurora Classen, oh my. It seems like the Witches' Weekly is attacking the Ministry Trio again. Just because Aurora is one-third of the best Defense against Dark Arts team for the Ministry of Magic doesn't mean she is engaged to every single bachelor in the ministry!

Ginny immediately felt sorry for the girl. A while ago, the witches' magazine had announced Aurora was engaged to Draco Malfoy. The response was quite destructive. The girl had to be escorted by her fellow aurors so she would be able to get to work without getting a scratch. Also Mrs. Malfoy had sent a howler, which was published, to the Witches' Weekly on the journal's bad conduct. One quote Ginny liked was **"These people are world famous AURORS! You do not publish their private life like, like those mindless shows the muggles watch!"** Also Aurora had threatened the editor-in-chief, but that wasn't the glorious part people liked to remember. Seeing a usually happy-go-lucky girl, who is an auror as well (mind you, that is terribly rare), become a terrorizing monster was not a good picture. The editor had gotten howlers and odd packages dropped to his mailbox everyday until no Draco-lovers attacked Aurora.

Ginny had first seen Aurora on by Hagrid's hut in her sixth year at Hogwarts. The new girl was waiting for Headmaster Dumbledore. It was strange since the term was half finished. Aurora joined the students at Hogwarts in mid-January, when the war with the Dark Lord was at its peak. Her admittance to the Slytherin house didn't make it easy for her to friends. One, the students of the other houses tried to stay away from Slytherins, and two, Aurora didn't get along with Draco Malfoy. The reason Ginny actually gave Aurora a chance was because both girls happened to be mad at Malfoy on the same day, at the same time, and in the same location. Ginny was drawing pictures of the blonde boy's face and contorting them while Aurora was marking the dates of PMS-y Malfoy days.

Gryffindors were initially skeptical of the friendship, but at the time when the Order of Phoenix was busy finding the weak points about the Death Eaters, the new girl that barely anyone knew immediately plunged herself in the crisis. She joined the mediwitch training program, one that Ginny participated in as well. Then when Aurora noticed just being a mediwitch wasn't enough, she barged into an Order of Phoenix meeting – dragging Ginny along – demanding to be of more help. No one really knew what "help" Aurora meant, but weeks after her private talk with Professor Dumbledore, the Malfoys released critical information on the Death Eaters to Professor Snape, bringing a quick end to the war.

At the end of the term, which happened to be Aurora's last year, she and four other graduates of Hogwarts (Ron, Hermione, Harry, Draco) were invited to the Auror camp. After the camp, Ginny noticed the five graduates became closer friends, though the connection with Malfoy was always a teeter-totter – Draco had found out about the calendar Aurora made of the dates he was to be PMS-y. (He had gotten mad at the accuracy).

A happy hoot from Mimi disturbed Ginny's memories. The girl looked at her bird companion and noticed it was happily snacking on the owl biscuits Aurora had bought all the way from South America. _Oh bother, I should tell Aurora to stop spoiling Mimi._ ****

~*~*~

            At 11 AM sharp, Mrs. Weasley called for Ginny via the Floo network.

            "It's time Ginny. We have to make everything. Hermione won't be able to come since Ron said she wasn't feeling well. It is going to be only us baking today!" Ginny nodded and apparated to the Burrow right away.

            "Hello mum, " Ginny greeted as she entered the house through the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was frantically summoning every possible ingredients and placing them on the counter.  "Mum, calm down. The guests are coming at 4:30. We still have 5 hours. You already have the chicken in the oven, and the main pies. Don't worry." Mrs. Weasley had calmed down. During every holiday season since every Weasley had graduated from Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley had been nervous. The thought of feeding her seven children and their family, her husband, and Harry, and occasionally other Hogwarts graduates was enough to make every strand of her hair stick up. That was quite big number of mouth to feed with only one cook . . . that is why Ginny is always present to help.

            "Hi Ginny. I see you have come straight over. That's good. Why don't you start on the cookies? We will make the side dishes once I get all the ingredients." Ginny nodded and worked on mixing the cookie dough.

~*~*~

            Five hours later, the Burrow smelled of baked goods and marinated meats, as well as all the side dishes. At fifteen minutes until 4:30, the guests started to arrive. First was Bill's family. He married Fleur a little before Ron married Hermione. And they brought their twin girls, both with red hair and silvery highlights. Then came Charlie, by himself. Mrs. Weasley was about to escort him to St. Mungos when he said he wanted to remain single. And Charlie brought a dragon egg that he was incubating (yes, very odd. Another reason Mrs. Weasleyv thought he needed to see a doctor.). At exactly 4:30, Ron and Hermione came out of the fireplace. Followed closely by Harry Potter. Nearly fifteen minutes after, Percy and Penelope with their boy and girl was dragged out of the fireplace by Fred and George (who were also a candidate of being sent to St. Mungos).

            The greetings had taken quite a long time. The line formed was similar to a factory product line. Everyone would hug Mrs. Weasley, then Mr. Weasley, then Ginny, and who ever followed. Even though the greetings took a long time, getting everyone seated at the table was a piece of cake. The delicious aroma that filled the house made everyone's stomach grumble.

            Once everyone was seated, food wasn't served right away (to the dislike of Ron and the original Weasley twins – not Bill's children). There was an empty seat between Harry and Ginny.

            "We don't have to wait," Harry announced. "Aurora had an emergency assignment that she had to attend to, so she cannot be here this afternoon." The females let out a simultaneous "awww."

            Although the food was delicious and there were many happy announcements (Ron and Hermione are going to have a baby, and George might have a girlfriend), Ginny was feeling melancholy. Perhaps the Witches' Weekly had been correct about Harry's engagement to Aurora. After all, we were going to discuss the wedding after dinner. The feeling betrayal also filled Ginny. Her best friend was engaged to the person she had like since forever. The make things worse, she has told Aurora that she liked Harry . . . a lot . . . and many times too.

            Dinner conversation composed of many different subjects. Besides the happy news, the exciting lives of families and Charlie's baby dragon hatching during dinner kept Ginny's mind off of Harry and the wedding she has agreed to plan. To Ginny's utmost surprise and to her liking, Harry didn't mention anything about his upcoming wedding. In fact, there were no hints of Harry being any where near the "tie the knot" stage; Harry was still the same Harry at the Halloween dinner. Ginny wasn't about to announce this happy event if Harry wasn't going to say anything about it.

Right after dinner, the children begged for permission to open their presents. Within one minute of getting their permission to open their presents, all the boxes were opened. It didn't take long for Percy's children and Bill's twins to be settled down. Soon it was the adults turn to go through their presents since the young ones were sent to the bed (dinner lasted a few hours . . .).

            "Um?" everyone said when he or she noticed his or her present piles. Their usual number of presents was increased by one. "From Draco Malfoy?!" The Slytherin had sent every one present a gift for the festive season. That had given everyone but Harry a big surprise.

            "Harry? What was the point of this?" Ron asked poking at his present from Malfoy as if it might explode. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the expression on everyone's faces.

            "He had lost a dare/bet-ish thing against Aurora and I. If he lost, he would need to buy presents for any person Aurora and I wanted him to," Harry answered. Hearing Aurora's name with any pronouns that associated with Harry was painful.

~*~*~

The dinner ended at 9:30. As the tired and full Ginny extended her hand to open the door to her flat, a strong arm stopped her.

            "Miss Weasley, you have forgotten our appointment!" Harry said with a smile. Ginny would have snapped at him for being so inconsiderate, but the smile made her go soft.

            "Right. Why don't we let me get my notebook and go somewhere to plan?" Harry nodded in agreement. Ginny opened the door to let Harry in, but he held the door open only to let her enter first. _Erg._ She asked Harry to sit on the couch to wait while she went to look for a folder suitable for all the information of Harry's wedding.

            Ginny took as long as she could to get everything together. It didn't take too much effort since a letter from Aurora was lying on her desk. _Hmm, maybe the letter will have some answers about this wedding of Harry, _Ginny thought happily. All the suspense was annoying her. During the entire dinner, the subject of who the lucky girl was kept on popping into her head. Perhaps it wasn't Aurora. The magazine's accuracy in its predictions was not believable and it just wasn't like Aurora to be engaged to Harry. They were never too close. Maybe it's some other girl Harry met at the ministry. After all, he was a heartthrob. Which probably explains why female workers at the ministry had increased by twenty percent.

_Dear Ginny –_

_            First of all, Merry Christmas if this letter arrives on time, though it might be late since this owl looks dubious._

            Ginny looked at the owl that had carried the letter and had agreed with her friend completely. It resembled how Errol looked like.

            _I am currently on an assignment with Draco in the worst yet best place possible. We are currently below the equator and there is absolutely no chance of snow! But I suppose the beaches and other sunny activities are nice. As far as I know, I probably will spend Christmas swimming at the beach will Mr. PMS-y instead of building snowmans and snow angels with you and the rest of the Weasleys. I was supposed to join you for dinner but that blasted ministry just had to send me on an assignment in a place whose residents have never built a snowman! Now I am here with a blonde and pale man that attracts too much attention. The minute he walked out of our hotel and headed for his morning swim, I could hear high pitched squealing emitting from the pool. Honestly, why was I sent on this trip with _him?_ Be sure to hurt Harry for me – even a light smack is fine. The excuse he made was 100% O2. Harry cannot lie for the life of him._

_            Ah, enough about my complaining. I don't know when I will be back, so you have to write back and tell me all about the snow that you have seen. I miss it already._

_                                                                                                Hugs and Kisses,_

_                                                                                                Aurora_

_PS: Did Mimi like her present? Did you like yours? And tell me soon since I already have my eyes on another gift for you._

            Ginny closed the letter and smiled to herself about the oddness of her friend. No information about any wedding was included. A crash in her living room made Ginny rush down the stair.

            It seems Mimi had finally noticed Harry's presence. The ball of feathers had given the man a shock and he fell backwards in his chair.

            "Oh my goodness. Are you alright Harry?" Ginny asked unsure of what to expect. The chair Harry was sitting in empty and the person that was using was a hump on the floor. There were no moans of pain actually Harry made no sound. "Eh . . ."

            Moments later, Harry Potter finally showed signs of being alive.

            "Oww . . ." Ginny had taken a seat right next to Harry and she was flipping through the folder arranging the paper. When Harry made the complaint, the redhead merely looked at with a smirk.

            "The Dark Lord couldn't even touch a hair on Harry Potter but a wimpy oak chair was able to make the Boy Who Lived faint for oh lemme see," Ginny pushed the sleeve of her right arm back and looked at the watch. "Wow, a whole half an hour." Harry looked indignant – with his mouth wide open and a bruise was forming on the left part of his forehead, where he landed.

            "Excuse me, but you owl could be the next Voldemort if she can hold a wand!" He joked back. "I could arrest you for harboring a potential dark lord."

            "I am not going to argue with you about my owl. First of all, a half an hour has passed and we did nothing. That doesn't mean the service charge is free," Ginny retorted. She really wasn't in such a good mood about Harry or the wedding. _Couldn't he see that I like him?_

"You'd think the genius Harry Potter would notice these things when he had ended so many dangerous dark arts groups," Ginny muttered under her breath.

"What?" Harry asked finally standing up. He swayed a little, but quickly recovered when he extended his hand to help Ginny up. 

Without looking up, Ginny continued to grumble, "Maybe it was Malfoy and Aurora that planned their missions." The expression on Harry's face when Ginny looked at him was confusing. He had looked like he was confused beyond comprehension and Ginny was confused since it looked like he had actually heard what she had mumbled.

"Now we plan," Ginny announced ridding the air of discomfort.

~*~finis for now~*~

**Omni's Rambles:**

That was supposed to come out on Christmas, but when I started writing it, there were too many revisions and it just got sort of long. Never expected this to be 5 and a half pages . . . The next chapter probably will be much later. Seeing as I can't eat anything and my head feels compressed yet consists of too much air, I have no clue if I can write any thing that makes any sense. =P

The Usual Thanks/Answers to Reviews:

**Sara Lee**: Who is Harry's bride? That is the question we all want to know . . . and therefore, I am not telling. But it won't be Cho. For some reason, it think it is immoral for people to stick her with Harry after Cedric died . . . not that I want her to mope or anything. The relationship would just be weird. Her current boyfriend saw her ex die. *shivers*

**Marajade3081**: Goody! At least I am not alone in this. Though as for the H/G shipper, I actually have no preference for pairings. I only opinions on who shouldn't be paired. So don't assume anything. And you are right about keep your guess unknown to me. Since I might change the story if things get too obvious.

**Mars777 aka Poetrygoth777 aka Traci Laneta**: Um, not telling. So from the next chapter your guess might be proven wrong. To give you a warning, I have very twisted logic. Besides, I'll have to introduce the other female candidates first. Ginny will be kept in the dark . . . and I will try to keep my readers in the dark as well. (That will prove to be difficult since I can't keep a secret present secret . . .)

**Santa Claus**: Create something?? Hmm, I'll look into that. Thanks for the reassurance on the title. I still don't like it very much though . . . it seems too blatant? But the story isn't blatant. Oh well. . .__

**Jennyo Turkey**: Are you 100% certain how this will turn out? But I am glad you chose to continue reading this. ^^

**Sweetevangeline**: Thank you! I have always had problems on the endings. And I am very happy you are enjoying this.__


	3. No Answers

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Own nada. Still nothing.

Note on Story: I made up all the names of places and people. And French is not my third language, Spanish is. And I think I spelled the translation of joy wrong . . . and I can't check. Also, I am very sorry for the long delay. This was meant to be out sometime around New Year's Eve. Only during that time, FF.net decided to not get along with my computer. I could not load the page.

Uh-oh. I had forgotten one reviewer. *smacking head* They had reviewed the first posted before I had deleted it.

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: Sorry about my forgetfulness! It is a big nuisance. I woke up in the middle of the night with a start because I forgot to put you on my thank you list. *blushing* And believe it or not that idea of Harry asking Ginny to plan her own wedding is quite popular. I have to admit that was the initial ending, but that was too obvious. The actual plot took me forever to work out so I hope it isn't what people expect. ^^

**A little note on e-mailing people to tell them when I update** . . . eh-heh, I would do that if I remember. And seeing as my memory is not dependable (see note above), that would be a little difficult. I will try to e-mail anyone who wants me to do so. Just e-mail me or do something so I would be informed. 

And now for the actual planning part of the wedding . . .

~*~*~

In Which Ginny Doesn't Get Any Answer!

            "Now we plan," Ginny announced ridding the air of discomfort.

            "Okay," Harry said in agreement. It was the type of answer that does not help the previous statement ease the tension in the air. _Harry is clueless, how did I ever think I liked him?_ Ginny let out a sigh of resignation and resentment.

            "Okay first things first. We get the guest list ready," Ginny opened her folder and charmed the nearest quill to write the names of the people down.

            "Err . . ." was the only reaction from Harry. Ginny looked for him to continue while the quill was suspended in midair in . . . suspense? "The list has not been worked out yet."

            Ginny nodded slowly unsure of what to do. There was the romantic thought of Harry asking her to plan a wedding exactly the way she wanted her wedding to be only to reveal she was his bride in the last minute. But that isn't something Harry would do. Malfoy would since he's such an arrogant prat, but Harry? No, he would never do that.

            "Why don't we work on the decorations then? I'll get the numbers calculated once we get it done." This was something Harry could answer since he was nodding in relief? Ginny looked at the messy haired man sitting next to her. _Why does he seem nervous?_ "Okay. Flowers. What type or types and color."

            "Lilies – a bouquet of different types. Calla Lilies, Day Lillies, those tropical Lilies that's supposed to look like star."

            "Harry? When is this wedding going to take place?" Ginny asked. All the flowers he mentioned are not very beautiful during the winter.

            "Late July or early August," Harry answered. That made things earlier. The flowers would be in full bloom and the wedding would have a tropical look.

~*~*~

            The planning session was easy, to an extent. In the end, Harry decided it would be better to select the tablecloths and napkins and such when he actually saw the product. So a few days later, Ginny and Harry went shopping.

            "The tablecloths should be white with gold embroidery on the edges," Harry directed the man when no available tablecloths had the design he wanted. Ginny was shocked to find how much money this wedding is going cost. The place of the wedding will at a Romanesque/Gothic church and the reception is to be held at _Joie de Vie_ hotel/resort. The hotel didn't have a large vicinity, but it was spacious yet small enough for it to be reserved for four days and three nights . . . with two balls. One on the first night and one on the last.

            The whole ordeal was giving Ginny a headache. Not because of Harry, well it does include him. She still doesn't know who is bride, and there were just a few things that need to be taken care of by the bride.

            ". . . Ginny, should the napkins be green or silver?" Ginny snapped out of her revelry.

            "That depends on the centerpiece."

            "It will have lilies."

            "Then green. It would match better. Green as the foundation for plates and plants." Harry grinned at her response.

            "Yeah, the napkins will be green. Besides, having a silver-colored napkin would be funny." The man was furiously jotting down all the custom made items that Harry was ordering. The clerk didn't know if he should be happy that someone was going to spend so much money, or if he should be stressed out.

            Finally, Ginny and Harry was finished with the store. _And fifty more to go_, both thought unhappily.

            "Harry? Who is the bride?" Ginny asked finally. She was sick of rattling her head for guesses. As of right now, every single female might be the bride, which is not better from where she first began.

            The man that had been a hero since he was an infant looked like the end of his life was near.

            "Why do you want to know?" Harry asked. Ginny didn't know how to respond to that. Say she was purely curious would ruin the client relationship. But telling him some issues need to be taken care of by the bride wouldn't work since he had everything planned so well himself. Ginny was merely there to guide him through. Making sure he didn't forget anything.

            "I was just wondering where she might be," Ginny said quietly. As she said it, remorse filled her heart and made so heavy that she felt like she was crumbled so she could fit under a rock. The statement didn't sound as innocent as what Ginny meant. For one, it suspected Harry of whether or not he had a bride to begin with. After all, she did question it in her reply to Harry although it was teasing him. 

_Let's hope he doesn't think too deeply about what I said. Really, the meaning is as it is said. There were no secret messages or meanings concealed. Well, there is, but it doesn't matter. I mean, I am planning his wedding so why would I tell him I like, love, no like, no, love . . . bah. Why would I tell him that?_

"She is on assignment," Harry answered softly. That was all Harry said before he entered the next store.

Aw shucks. I think he did think too much on what I had said. That's why it took him so long to answer. Now this is going to be a very long shopping trip. And the next three months is going to be the seventh circle of Dante's inferno.

Wait, did he say on assignment? But that could mean Aurora. She is on assignment. Or it could be Malfoy, no wait. Harry said she and I know he isn't homosexual . . . eh, why did I even think that? Now it shouldn't be Aurora since she wouldn't do this to me. She better not do this to me, so who is "she"?

"Ginny? Hello?" Harry Potter has been trying to get Ginny's attention for the past minute and a half. She had to have been concentrating on something; otherwise she would be alert.

"Yes?" Ginny said finally back to reality.

"Where do we go next?" That's all?! Ginny thought surprised. That was all he wanted to ask me about? Hey didn't he just go into the store? Harry had guessed what Ginny had thought when he saw the look on her face, not to mention her mouth was slightly agape but it was quickly pursed together in confusion. "That store didn't have what we need."

Ginny looked at the name of the store. An apothecary? No wonder. "All the reservations were made, oh! We need a band or some type of music at the reception." Ginny shouted as she flipped through her portfolio.

"Where do you reserve a band?" Harry asked with the knitted brows.

"Well, you don't reserve bands. More like invite them."

"Oh. So which band should we invite?"

We? Ginny, get a grip. Not "we" as in Harry and Ginny. "We" as in Harry and his bride. Oh I really need help. By the end of this wedding, I will be speaking to myself and heaven forbid me to act like those odd professional even planners that are just plain crazy.

"I don't know, the Clementine Sisters would be good." Harry nodded softly at Ginny's suggestion.

"Will you invite them for me?" Ginny nodded. Of course she will. It is her job. She was supposed to negotiate and reserve and buy and plan. Not Harry, although he is doing the first few steps of buying and planning.

"Anything else?" Harry asked. Ginny returned to her portfolio.

"Shouldn't be anything besides . . . the wedding dress, bride's maids dresses, clothing for the groom and his entourage." Ginny said. "Though you might want to consult your fiancée about that." Upon mentioning his future wife, Harry turned bright red. And maybe it was Ginny's ear, but it sounded like Harry muttered, "you are going to pay Malfoy."

~*~finis for now~*~

**Omni's Rambles and Thank Yous:**

Rambles – so did you like this one? I had problems sleeping so I am able to finish this. And I think I am hurrying myself to at least get near the wedding in a week. Though the chapters might not be posted since the place I am going does not have Internet access.

And a mini poll: would you rather prefer one with the length of what I posted awhile ago? Or the length of today's? Or in between? I have problems with my chapters since some of them quite long. . . see Royalty, eh and you'd know.

Okay, Thankee time:

**Shadow Mouse**: Yay! I am on the right track, yipeee!! *head swells like a balloon, having a hard time deflating it.* I hope my ending would be happy – to everyone else. To me, it is, but I am odd.

**Dini40seven**: Um, getting there. My goal is to finish this on Valentines Day. With about three to five chapters left, that should be easy right? *prays comparative government and Chemistry will suddenly be very easy.*

**Sparkle Tangerine**: Ooh! I like your name! Oky, back on track now . . . thank you, I try to make my stories interesting, though I think they eventually become slow until one of my betas smack upside my head. Only this might be a problem since this story isn't beta-ed. Hmm, would you like to tell when it stops getting interesting? And yes, poor Ginny. I think I was too hard on her in this chapter.

**Santa Claus**: Wow! You are back. *hug and squeal* But seriously, I love it when people do come back and read my ficcies. But what if the blatant title was misleading? Hmm? I thing I should stop babbling for I might say the ending. Trust me, it is a bit unexpected. But enough about the title. I think I'll leave it as it is. ^^ Thank you for your guidance!

**Sara Lee**: Ooh! You are back too! *more hugs and squeals* Okay. I'll stop now. Like I said, I have no preference for pairings. But in this ficcy, it will be Harry and Ginny . . . I guess. I don't think they will kiss – for I have no clue how to write that. *hides under some ominous rock* So, yeah, um, eh, okay.

**Crazy Benji**: Uh-huh. Maybe, I won't give any info on the end. One, that was the most obvious solution, which I admit is/was one of my endings. But during my planning of this story, there were at least 5 different endings, each one being stranger. But I hope you will continue reading this ficcy to find out!

**Aeris Deathscythe**: Uh . . . okay. I agree with you completely on Harry needed a female counterpart that is a canon character; however for me, I don't really care unless that female is Cho. I think I explained somewhere that it seems morally wrong when a girl is dating a guy that saw her ex die. Anyway, I skimmed through some of your stories (I would have read it when I had the time! Bad school . . . ) and I like them a lot! Teehee, thanks for reviewing!

Toodles!

Love everybody!

Omni – exclamations specialist


	4. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: Own zilch. Nada. Never will. The whole dessert thing I don't have any credibility on as well. My knowledge of desserts is cake, cookies, pie, bread, pudding, and ice cream. Generic things like that, nothing special. Feel free to correct my wrongfully used desserts vocabularies.

~*~*~

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

This of wedding of Harry was quite difficult for Ginny to plan. The decisions made were always changes many times. Even the ones that were put into action; Ginny had to make many apologies. Quite frankly, our wedding planner was beyond stressed out. Harry has been begging for her to take care of things since he somehow landed himself in a desk job.

It was New Year's Eve when Harry found time away from his desk job so they could continue plan the wedding. Usually Ginny had a year to make sure everything, but now she had six months at most, leaving the rest of the time for fixing problems. 

Harry had owled her the day before. They were to meet in at some restaurant whose location Ginny has no clue of – all she knew was touch the portkey at exactly 4 o'clock sharp. It was five minutes until four. Ginny gathered the portfolio, and a stack of paper to note any changes that might occur (again.)

_I hate porkeys,_ Ginny thought not liking the aspect of taking touch the letter Harry had sent ('twas the portkey). _At least it isn't a dirty sock or used Band-Aid. It is nearly four, okay Ginny, take a deep breath, and brace your stomach for weightlessness._

When the second hand stuck and the clock had said 4 o'clock, Ginny felt a lurch and immediately following it, weightlessness. _Let's hope I don't fall on anyone_. For a few more second, Ginny felt like she was suspended in air, until she finally felt her weight again. _I am going to land on my feet, I am going to land on my feet . . ._ Ginny had muttered that as she waited for the contact of the ground, however, there were no contact . . . not yet anyway.

"Oomph!" _Ah, now I am on the ground, sort of, wait, there is something under me._ "Uh, Gin, are you okay?" _Hey, that voice sounds like Harry's_. Realization finally dawned on Ginny. She looked at the source of the voice and the face definitely belonged to Harry.

"Yeah . . . I am fine," Ginny said slowing wondering how to get herself out of this mess. "You can put me down now." A blush crept on both faces. From a person walking on the other side of the street, Ginny and Harry looked like two lovebirds. But if you look carefully, you might have difficulty telling which is more embarrassed.

Harry gently put Ginny down on the ground and led her to . . . a restaurant? _Was this a date? Yeah right Ginny. That's hopeful thinking. As if Harry would ask you on a date when he asked you to plan his wedding . . . well, maybe the wedding isn't his . . ._

As the many voices in Ginny's head argued amongst each other, Harry had already led the youngest Weasley (well, not really but in Harry's generation) into the eatery. _It is too nice to be called an eatery_, Ginny snapped at her descriptive mind. That had ended the internal battle of date or not date, but the snapping had also given Ginny a funny expression on her face.

"Gin? Do you not like here?" Harry asked worriedly. Ginny blushed and vigorously shook her head meaning no. Her client/crush just laughed at her discomfort, or at least what Ginny thought the reason was.

"No, I was afraid I left something at home," Ginny lied smoothly.

Before the two could talk – or actually, before Ginny could even get her folders out, the waiter asked for their orders. That had gotten Ginny annoyed since it would mean this meeting would take longer than usual. Longer being Ginny has to put up with her internal battles for at least an extra two hours . . . make that three since it just happens to be dinner time. Hey, it might even be five hours since the restaurant seemed to serve multiple-course meals.

"So," Ginny began, "Do your bride know what color dress she wants for herself and the bridesmaids, and the color coordination of everything else?" _your bride_ made the well meaning seem snobbish, not to mention somewhat mocking. It was driving Ginny bananas not knowing the name of the bride.

"Actually yes. I called. And the dress will be the traditional white color, but with a slight touch of cream. The design will be is number A264 on this catalogue. Here," Harry brought out a thick volume of different styles of dresses with colored tabs sticking out from the side.

"Well, the blue ones are the bridesmaid dresses. The yellow tabs are dress choices for the flower girl. As for the clothing for the groom and his company, they are in this big thing." Harry dragged out another large volume of clothing.

"My, you have done a lot," Ginny said in awe. Shouldn't she be the wedding planner? If she was, then did Harry do all this?

"Maybe," Harry answered without hesitation, or looking up. "But you are the wedding planner. You must be doing more." Ginny blushed crimson. She wasn't embarrassed because it was a compliment. She turned red because she actually didn't do much besides making phones calls for ordering, canceling and apologizing.

Before the planning could continue, the food had arrived. It had been uncomfortable eating since conversation was none existent. "Pass the salt" and "Hand me an extra napkin" were the type of phrase murmured between the two. You would think Harry would say something since this was his wedding Ginny was planning, but nothing was said. It was when dessert came did the conversation become livelier and involved the upcoming wedding.

"We must have these pastry cakes in the dessert section," Harry declared as he savored the tangy yet creamy taste of the tartlet. Ginny looked up in surprise. She was too engrossed in smacking her pudding with her spoon.

"Huh?"

"These cakes are very good. Now if we had the vanilla flavor and a speckle of coconut, it would be perfect," Harry continued. He then offered one to Ginny, which was . . . odd. That was the only word to describe the action. The dessert was ordered for two, so of course Ginny had a share. Offering one to Ginny would be _odd_ since well, it was not practical. That's right. The tension between the two friends, acquaintances . . . was thick enough to break a batter (think mixing ingredients and it lacked water and butter).

"Okay, I'll note that and when I tell the order the food from the catering company, I'll add the to the conventional list." The redheaded wedding planner opened her folder and jotted the name of the dessert down. She was about to ask more information on the food since they were on the subject, but Harry was in a world of his own. At least that is what it seemed like. He was staring at some corner of the restaurant.

"Did I ever tell you about the bridesmaids?" Harry asked with his eyes still focused on the corner. It was disconcerting to see Harry Potter acting in such a strange way, but commitment tends to change people, right? Ginny turned to look in whatever direction Harry was looking. There was a male waiter gathering the dirty dishes.

_HUH?!_

"What about the bridesmaids Harry?" Ginny asked trying to be normal. Normal meaning she was perfectly fine having dinner with a man whose wedding she is planning and they happened to be eating by themselves in a secluded corner, you know, the ones that usually become the ideal romantic setting.

"You are the maid of honor, Hermione is one of the bridesmaids. Lavender and Parvati are also bridesmaids, but I'll have to ask them first . . ." Harry trailed off, as well as Ginny's mind. 

_I am the maid of honor?! Now which female is close to her and Harry? Aurora and Hermione and Lavender and Parvati are the only possibilities that I can think of right now. But it can't be any of them! Hermione is married to Ron. They are definitely far from divorce since Herm is pregnant again. It can't be Aurora, because it can't? She would never do something like that. And the major reason is that all of them are bridesmaids. Hey wait, Aurora isn't one . . . Oh I think I need to write a letter! But it doesn't seem like something Aurora would do. After all, I usually know who Aurora has her attention on. It was Malfoy for a bit, until her called him a brat and a male suffering from PMS. Harry was called exotic, not something a girl like Aurora would look for. She seems to have more chances of falling in love with a dragon than with Harry._

As Ginny's mind combated with itself on whether or not Harry's bride is Aurora, Harry's was busy waving his hand in front of Ginny's face to gain her attention.

"Earth of Ginny!" Harry called out. "Hello? Are you alright? I mean, if you really don't want to be the maid of honor, I am sure I can find some one else."

"No!" Ginny nearly shrieked. She was tired of her mind speculating who the bride is and just as she finally stopped thinking about it, Harry would bring the subject back up again. The color coordination of the tablecloths and the napkins seemed like a better topic right now. "No, it is fine. I was just somewhat shocked. I mean, well, uh . . ." Ginny didn't want to bring up not knowing the bride again since she seemed to have offended Harry the last time she did it.

"Okay. Well, since you are the maid of honor, would you like to choose your dress right now?" Ginny nodded mutely. At least choosing her own dress would be a piece of cake compared to finding out who is the lucky lady.

~*~*~

When the dinner was over, it was around 9:45 PM. Harry had decided to spend the rest of the time enjoying the eve of New Years. Street performers provided unlimited entertainment and lovesick couples were dancing under the moonlight. Ginny had wanted to dance, but there weren't anyone near that she could dance with.

"Come Mister and Missus. Join the party. Tis no romantic night if there isn't dancing!" one of the performers said ushering Ginny and Harry to the makeshift dance floor.

_Gah!Another moment of discomfort. Here I am, in the arms of Harry Potter. Not the Harry that was single, nope. He has a fiancée and they are getting married in a few months!_

Ginny quickly pulled away half regretting her action and half content that she didn't fall any harder for Harry. For a millisecond, sadness flashed across his green as toad eyes. As fate would have it that night, the fireworks decided to go off at that moment.

_This is a badly choreographed soap opera. Normally, fireworks have couples kissing under them, not the girl pulling away, albeit begrudgingly and was that sadness I see in Harry's eyes? Oh boy, I really need a vacation. Even my hallucinations are being extremely hopeful. This is definitely beyond wishful thinking._

"Harry," Ginny started bravely, although she felt like the ultimate chicken underneath, "I need to make all these corrections, so I need to wake up early, and so I need to go home." Ginny felt dumb, to simply put it. She was making excuses to leave and the excuses seemed to go on and on and on and . . . 

"Call me if there are any questions and changes!" Ginny finally said goodbye with a semi-semi-professional tone. She walked a few steps before stopping to look back. Harry hadn't said anything and to her utmost surprise, he was still in the same position looking at her directions. When Harry did notice Ginny had stopped moving (that had taken 5 long seconds), he had blushed and bowed his head before going off to his supposed direction. "Eh wait! How do I get back?"

"Apparate?" Harry answered with uncertainty. It was a common thing for wizards to apparate to their destination.

"Oh right . . ." Ginny mumbled embarrassed before continuing off again. She had decided to continue walking for about 500 yards before getting her wand out to apparate. 

~*~*~

The night had given Ginny no rest. The tension and stress of this wedding probably will drive the poor girl insane. It had taken her 500 yards to remember how to apparate and she woke up in the middle of the night with one tugging thought.

"Tomrrow is New Years Day. None of the people I need to call will be open!"

A few hours later, Ginny was awoken by another disturbing thought.

"Hey, Harry was sure Hermione was going to be one of the bridesmaids. This means he must have asked her! Now the next question is when . . . and maybe I can ask Hermione about who the bride is. And after Harry asks Parvati and Lavender, I can ask them too. Besides, Parvati and Lavender probably would want to help."

_Okay Ginny, back to sleep now. You need the rest. You have been talking to yourself for most of the night. This is not a sign of good mental health . . ._

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni Babbles:** Yech, I think this chapter was full of absolute nothing besides some Harry/Ginny fluff. That is if what I wrote is fluff. Ah-well. I had felt bad for not posting this week since I had started this on New Years Day and it was time for me to let it go. Though it might come to haunt me in my dreams about such a horrid chapter.

Please tell me your honest opinion about this chapter. I think my writing skills have dropped dramatically since I can remember. 

**Oky, thankies time!**

**Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: How 'bout we drop the guessing. ^^ it will only give you headaches and I don't want you to beat up your brain for this. As you can tell, Ginny's head is already twisted as it is. We don't want you that confused do we now? And I think there is going to be a wedding. Poor Ginny has suffered through enough hasn't she? Hmm, maybe not . . . I think there might be more Ginny mental torture in the near future. It might not be as twisted as this is though . . . 

**Kit Cloudkicker:** I know. My Spanish teacher is strange. That is why the story is so odd – blame it on the abnormal topic we were given to write about and my brain had decided to make it even crazier.

**Aeris Deathscyth**: I hope this chaptermeets your expectations! And hopefully this one gets an "ooh more!" as well. But I hope I won't torture Ginny that much again. For a moment there, I was afraid I had turned her into a mentally unhealthy person.

**Nimacu:** Thank you! Sorry about the length of this chapter. It was kind of short and somewhat pointless. The only thing accomplished was more situation development, though I think the character, especially Harry, was a bit out of character.

**Kanzer:** You will find out eventually. But I don't think anyone can guess the outcome. Unless they really do think like me and that is plain scary. ^^ Hopefully this chapter will give you more info.

**Pudadingding: **I SUPPOSE they will get together. Now that so many people have asked me to do so, I might push them one step closer to that. ^^ That is about as direct of an answer you will get out of me. Just think about the plot and maybe this chapter will help answer some of your questions. If not, continue bugging me, I think I might slip very soon.

**Sara Lee**: Hmm, I see that sentence structure was awful. Sorry. I meant to say "it (have a girl plan a wedding only to propose to her the day of) was something Malfoy would since he's such an arrogant prat." Hope that clears things up!

**Arkaynn: **Uh-oh. What if are really awful things aren't they? I won't release any info on the bride. It would end the surprise ending. ^^And I hope this chapter is also "great stuff" as well. It seemed like the most underdeveloped one yet.

**Santa Claus: **No worry! I think I'll stick with the same title. It has grown on me, like everything else I learn to live with for at least a week.

**Female Fred: **Malfoy has a lot to do with this. I'll tell you that and no more. Besides, why would I introduce him if he were just an innocent (yeah right) bystander? Iam not that mean to introduce meaningless characters. Teehee! Ilike your name – I had been called Fred by my teacher since he couldn't pronounce or remember my name! Soorry, off track, but thanks for the review!

**Crazyme89:** Oky! I will do that with the encouragement in thought! Succinct, but helpful.

**evil_potter_twin:** Cliff hanger? I wasn't attempting to do one. That was just where the scene ended. Ah well, I'll look up the technicalities of cliff hangers later. Tis too late right now (12:35 am). But I am glad you liked it!

**Marajade3081: **Yay! You found me again! Happy-happy-joy-joy! ^^ Oh boy, I am getting hyper from these reviews and that isn't the greatest news at this time . . . I think Ginny might need to be sent to the funny farm when I am done with this story since she might be mentally scarred for life. I hope no real life wedding planner goes through this.

**Sparkle Tangerine:** Happy Belated Birthday! Hopefully this chapter meets your expectations as well. Though I am afraid this one isn't quite "up to par". I hit a temporary road block on transitions (hate it when that happens). 

**Kit Cloudkicker:** Goody, you aren't confuzzled anymore! Glad you like it too! And this chapter isn't really a "now what" but it gets the story going. My lousy attempt at a little Harry and Ginny scene.

Thanks again for all the encouragement!

~Omni

**A Little Note:** School has started and it is much tougher than what it was last semester. I will try to write as soon as possible, but I haven't had much time to do that. I have 2 competitions coming up in March and the preparation work is a igloo! Ihave the rest of this month to research the foreign policy of Great Britain and write a paper on it . . . Grr. So basically school had occupied my mind. Not to mention I have a debate on either Tuesday or the Tuesday after the next – and I don't know what position I am!!

Thank you for putting up with my blabber. I hope you have enjoyed reading the story if not everything else that come with it.


	5. Girl Talk part one

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: Own (                          ). See? That is it.

Quick Note: I might not be able to get a chapter out a week. My school is being very mean. Had five tests this week. Three in one day!

~*~*~

Chapter Three: Girl Talks!

            New Years Day did not feel special for Ginny. She had woken up feeling hungover due to the lack of sleep. The day didn't feel like a day of new beginnings either. Ginny's brain was still battering Ginny by sending too many curiosity neurons.

            _Gah! I need to stop thinking about the wedding. I really, really, really, really need a break. This is not good. You'd think I would not fall for Harry so hard, but here I am, still pinning for the guy when he is obviously taken. I mean, this is his wedding I am planning for goodness sakes! I need some one to talk to, to calm my mind, preferably some strange with no knowledge of this wedding, Harry, or me._

            As Ginny was busy talking to herself, a cockatiel flew through Ginny's window and expertly knocked Mimi off her perch. The disgruntled hoots from Mimi drew Ginny out of her reverie and brought her attention to the bird that carried a letter from Aurora (the birds the auror used as messengers are diverse enough to give Ginny a lesson on birds).

_HI GINNY!!_

_            As you can tell, I am hyper beyond recognition and I have been driving Mr. Malfoy utterly insane. Did you like the presents he gave you and the rest of the Weasley crew? If you have any objections, feel free to ask for new ones! Draco was too chicken to tell those secretaries to bugger off . . . kind of funny since when did Mr. Evil PMS-y Man become afraid of intelligent blonde ditzes? That was oxymoronic but I think that juice-thingy Draco bought me had alcohol. Remind me to hurt him when I get back._

_            So how are you? Yep, I am asking you now that I am done with my complaints. How are you going with a certain green-eyed hero? Nope, not the brunette that saved us from walking in a rainstorm, the one currently sitting behind a desk. I think you might need to save poor Harry from those new secretaries. I would much prefer those old ladies that are can have "mother-hen" on their resumes if they ever write on again . . ._

_A well, have to go Gin. I think the drink did contain alcohol, now that I rechecked the menu. I see you soon! And do write back a real letter. Not a hurried scribble of thank you for the presents. And yes I am pouting!_

_                                                                                                Love,_

                                                                                                Aurora 

            Ginny chuckled at her friend's letter. It was true; Aurora cannot handle any alcohol. They were at one party and Aurora had taken a few sips of wine and the sky almost collapsed. Everyone present was surprised at the range of Aurora's personalities. Ginny could have said her best friend could rival Malfoy's PMS-y days. A little peck on the window brought Ginny back in reality. A barn owl entered Ginny's house.

            "Oh! Hermione wrote me a note!" Ginny exclaimed for absolutely no reason.

            The cockatiel gave the barn owl a condescending look. Ginny felt bad for Hermione's owl. The problem with exotic birds is they seem to be very arrogant of their unusual qualities.

            "Thank you," Ginny spoke to the tropical bird with respect. "You can go back now. I'll write to Aurora later." The cockatiel gave Mimi an evaluating look as if the normal owl was not classy enough to bring a letter back to the correct recipient.

            Ginny turned her attention back to Hermione's owl. It seems all the bridesmaids will be meeting at Hermione and Ron's house for a bridal meeting. The ladies would be discussing the dress and the like. _Perhaps I might even know who the mysterious bride is! Uh-oh. This is not a good sign Ginny. You are subconsciously obsessed with Harry's bride, not to mention you are talking to yourself! _After beating her head with an imaginary hammer, Ginny scribbled a quick reply to Hermione in confirmation of her attendance. 

~*~*~

            "Ginny! Come in!" Hermione exclaimed when she opened the door. The healthy aura of a pregnant lady was clear around the former Hogwarts Know-it-all. "Lavender and Parvati are here already. Get yourself settled in the living room. I am going to get some tea and cookies for snacking."

            Ginny nodded and went to the living room. When Hermione is pregnant, arguing with her is pointless. She has her mind set on something and there is nothing anyone can do to change. Ron has a tendency to start an unwanted argument and Harry and Ginny have to patch up the drift between the couple. Now that the discussion is going to be on the design of the dresses of bridesmaids, this is going to be an interesting meeting.

            "Hi Gin!" Parvati and Lavender greeted. There were already some wedding magazines open to bridesmaid dresses and the girls were flipping though the catalogue. Ginny plopped on the nearby seat and got out her portfolio for planning the wedding.

            "Wow Gin," Lavender teased, "are you going professional?"

            "Who is going professional?" Hermione asked as she carried the tray of food towards the other girls.

            "No one is, Herm." Ginny let out a dramatic sign. "Don't get too happy. You are not getting the lovely chance of smacking me." After Ginny had planned the first wedding of a stranger, the redhead had suffered psychologically and physically. Being busy with her studies and making the special occasion able to happen had taken a toll on the total number of hours of sleep. And consequently, Ginny became quite snappy. All of her friends were on the receiving end of the temper and it took a large gathering of family and friends to get Ginny back to normal. Temporarily hurtful words were shared, but the money saved from hiring a psychoanalyst was worth it. Besides, everything that was said at the meeting may have been cruel at the time, but a few hours later, everyone laughed over what said. That had been memorable, since Aurora had discovered her sensitivity to alcohol at that gathering.

            "Darn! But at least only special people get you to be their wedding planner," Hermione answered with a smile. A smile that suddenly had an evil edge to it. "So how much is Harry paying you?"

            "I don't know, the fee was never discussed . . ." Ginny stumbled through the answer. It was true; they never did discuss her payment.

            "We will give poor Ginny a break now. She is probably already stressed about the wedding. Why don't we decide on the dresses to make her job easier?" Lavender said off handedly.

            "Decide on the dress to make my job easier? Ha! I'd like to see the day shopping with you guy will make anything simple for me," Ginny replied bitterly, though with humor. Two of the bridesmaids are fashion freaks. Their closets are filled with the latest trends. Hermione doesn't care much of the trendy-ness of her clothing, but they have to fit her fashion style, but that changes every months. At least all three ladies are good at altering the outfits . . . unlike Ginny.

            The discussion was already difficult enough when Lavender, Parvati, and Hermione had already chosen a dress from the catalogue they had. Convincing the three to look at the catalogue in which Harry chose the dresses was a task to be afraid of.

              
            "No offense Ginny, but Harry's choices? Are you sure you trust him? He is a male for goodness sake!" Parvati exclaimed when she realized there was even a higher potential of not getting what she wanted.

            "Will you look before you make hasty judgments?" Ginny pleaded. Listening to three friends argue about styles was giving her a migraine. She took out the catalogues and threw the female one at Parvati. It didn't take long for the fashion "experts", namely Lavender and Parvati to be gapping at the dresses found on the catalogue.

            "Oh my! I must say I am impressed." That was all Parvati could say. She was too busy looking at all the dresses.

            "What catalogue is it?" Lavender asked tilting her head. Her partner in fashion was still flipping through the catalogue with gentle fingers like it was a treasured photo album. Finally, Lavender was annoyed with not being able to see so she snatched the book away only to drop it immediately.

            "So?" Parvati asked rather annoyed as well. When her eyes landed on the title, her face was a mask of shock as well.

            "It just says _Dernier Cri_ . . ." Hermione looked at Ginny, who only shrugged as well.

            "Are you kidding? First of all, these dresses cost a fortune. Second of all, all the designers had won various awards in both muggle and wizadry society . . .hence the high cost. My, I must say the bride is a very lucky girl," Lavender finished her rant with a dreamy sigh. "Now I wish my husband would do that for me."

            "Right, that is if you are not switching favorites every day!" Parvati teased. Ginny didn't participate in the repartee. The word "bride" had gotten her attention again. _Damn! I really need to get a grip on myself!_

            "Who is the bride?" Ginny blurted out since the bridesmaids were happily talking about her. Upon hearing the question all three stopped their conversation immediately.

            "Uh . . ."

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Rambles:** Don't worry. As you probably know about my personality from my other notes, I won't give out information on who is the bride is. So it really isn't much of a cliffhanger. ^^

Notes of Appreciation:

**Female Fred**: I am so sorry! I didn't mean to make your head spin. Oh my goodness, I am so sorry. But did you enjoy it? Anyway, about the name, my name is nowhere near Fred as well. But for a teacher who is willing to call me Vanilla or George, it made sense to him. Now he just calls me whatever comes to mind. When an odd name is called, that usually would be me. ^^

**Aindel**: What do you think Malfoy's part is? I might give you a small hint . . . but if it is marrying Ginny off to him, hmmm. Why not? I think I'll write something like that sometime. I could give it a try. Anyway, Malfoy is not marrying Ginny though. Our favorite female redhead is infatuated with Harry (and she is trying to deny that.).

**Sara Lee**: Good plan, but no. Ferret is going to have a part. Maybe I'll have Ginny yell at him or something. He is still somewhat estranged from Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, etc.

**Marajade3081**: Same here. Poor Ginny! We need to start a support group for her. But her friends will tell her something the next time I post. It might be next week or the week after. School hasn't been nice.

**Bucky**: Thank you! And I'll try to marry Harry off the correct person. I will try. But can't give much comfort there, otherwise the plot will be ruined. Sorry.

**Nia 88**: Who is the bride? I dunno. You tell me. ^^ Did you really think I would give that away? If I did, the plot would be given away . . .

**Harry-luver200316**: I will try to get a chapter out a week! Is that agreeable? And sure why not, Ginny marries Harry, lives happily ever after; though in my plots, that would get difficult.

**MoNmOn**: You are a very succinct person aren't you? But thanks, I hope it doesn't get boring.

**Tekki()**: Thank you! So how did you do at your skating competition? You sounded happy. And Mountain Dew probably would allow you to do fifty more cartwheels, if I can do cartwheels. ^^

**Beth e()**: So a Hermione/Draco fan? Would you get mad at me if I am not very nice to Draco?? And hey! I am supposed to be keeping the bride a secret . . . not the reviewers. I don't even know if I am keeping things secret or not if you keep on doing that. *pout* 

**Crazyme89**: I think it is normal to talk to yourself all the time. Only I get people telling me that it isn't normal. Yep, plot thickens, and probably thins quickly too. Can't write mysteries very well, which is why I love and worship J.K. Rowling. She can keep secrets. ^^

**cosmoz():** Ginny is the bride? Well that is a newsflash! No really, I am not telling! Though I think my shell is cracking . . . that is not good!

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea():** Thinking is good. That is what my teachers tell me, but then again, my friends and I are getting ready to see a shrink. I actually have had a doctor suggest that, "We need to help you deal with stress." What do they mean by that? I deal with stress perfectly fine. There might be some paper shreds and a broken pencil, but I think everyone does that. Maybe some screaming too.

Love you all! Reading the reviews has made my day, and made by secretive shell crack. That might be a good thing depending on your opinion.

~Omni


	6. Some Answers, but More Questions

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: For my lack of imagination and ability to form words, it is just a boring old disclaimer of a poor fan trying to work out her frustration by writing about her favorite incomplete series.

In dedication to the astronauts who died with the Columbia space shuttle. 

On a happier note, happy Chinese New Year. (that was repetitive.)

~*~*~

Chapter Five: Some Answers, But Not Enough

"It just says _Dernier Cri_ . . ." Hermione looked at Ginny, who only shrugged as well.

            "Are you kidding? First of all, these dresses cost a fortune. Second of all, all the designers had won various awards in both muggle and wizadry society . . .hence the high cost. My, I must say the bride is a very lucky girl," Lavender finished her rant with a dreamy sigh. "Now I wish my husband would do that for me."

            "Right, that is if you are not switching favorites every day!" Parvati teased. Ginny didn't participate in the repartee. The word "bride" had gotten her attention again. _Damn! I really need to get a grip on myself!_

            "Who is the bride?" Ginny blurted out since the bridesmaids were happily talking about her. Upon hearing the question all three stopped their conversation immediately.

            "Uh . . ."

            "Well?" Ginny encouraged. "Don't tell me you accepted the offer without knowing who the bride is." The redhead rolled her eyes. Usually, she would stop at this point, but the nagging mystery was driving her insane.

            "Or are you not going to tell me as well?" Ginny asked with a mix of cynicism and impatience. The other girls looked at each other uncomfortably. No one knew what to say. It was obvious at this point that Ginny still had an emotional attachment to Harry, no matter what the redhead would say. For the longest time, Harry had always been by Ginny. The desire of being Ginny Weasley, not Ron's little sister was fulfilled. Only the relationship was just friends, it seemed impossible for friends stage to girlfriend-boyfriend stage. Now that Ginny is planning a wedding for Harry and his anonymous bride, that had struck a tight chord.

            For one: as a friend, Ginny has the right to know who the bride is. After all, isn't that what peer approval is? Harry is marrying someone that Ginny, who can be his best friend, doesn't even know. What hurts even more is that Ginny didn't even know he was dating or even considering a long term involvement with someone until the letter to ask for Ginny's assistance.

            Another point, the more obvious one is the emotional pain of knowing someone you have felt deeply be with another person. It isn't even jealousy anymore; there is not really a person to be jealous of. There are guesses but who is to judge the female in question is indeed the bride?

            "I am sorry Gin," Parvati said in a small voice. It was obvious to everyone Ginny was hurting and Harry probably can sense it too. If he doesn't, then he has spent too much time with Malfoy. Being an insensible git can be contagious.

            "No, it is fine," croaked Ginny. She cleared her voice and straightened herself out mentally and physically, an action not missed by her friends. Hermione, being the moderator her job and her friendship with Harry and Ron demanded of her, knew the perfect change of subject.

            "Not to sound superficial or anything but . . ." Hermione paused dramatically while trying to speak with her hands. The motions were circles presenting her abdomen.

            "Oh congratulations on your pregnancy!" Lavender said with a bright smile that was shared by Ginny and Parvati. Other murmurs of best wishes were voiced, but that wasn't the effect Hermione wanted. You'd think speaking with girls they would know the problem right under their noses, but no. Two fashion experts and a wedding planner cannot decipher Hermione's dilemma with her very subtle hints.

            "Hello? Girls? I am pregnant. Wedding happens to be in my third trimester. Not a good thing!" With a huff, Hermione collapsed on her chair.

            "Herm, you are sounding superficial," Ginny pointed out bluntly. The absence of tack was needed. "You shouldn't care what you look like. I am sure the bride would be happy just knowing you are there to support her. Besides, don't add more stress to yourself. The ministry gave you a long sick leave just so this pregnancy will be successful." Mentioning the bride made Ginny flinch, but Hermione needed to be stress free. In Herm's previous pregnancy, she had a miscarriage due to stress from work. The repercussions from the Dark Lord were still affecting society and the new ministry members had to work overtime to gain stability.

            "Don't worry Herm," the other girls chimed in. Ron and Hermione had been devastated after the first pregnancy and now they were able to overcome the emotion barriers to try again.

            "Besides, it is no use being so worried. If appearance is important, the aura during the pregnancy tends to bring loads of compliments!" Lavender added. All the comforting statements directed to Hermione had succeeded in convincing the future mother to forget about the balloon she would have during the wedding.

            "Now the next question is deciding which dress," Hermione announced when the previous topic was over. "We need one that is flattering for a pregnant woman in her last trimester too!" The latter comment earned Hermione three slaps on the arm. "Hey! Be nice."

            "Yeah, when Ron hears we have been abusing my sister-in-law, he is going to strangle us," Ginny added. "But Hermmy is right. We need to decide on the dress."

            The three girls had a lovely time flipping through the catalogues. Upon hearing the bride will be wearing a white dress with light touches of purple, blue, and green, it was decided that the bridesmaid dresses should be blue and the maid of honor dress will be green. A compromise had to be made, but everyone acquiesced after a few nudges (more like bribes).

            "I am going to look like a Christmas tree with my red hair and the green dress!" Ginny declared.

            "You won't be getting forest green. That will deter the attention from the bride. She is wearing light colors so you will get a pale green or something. See, color 0956." Then it was the bridesmaids' turn to complain – or more like argue.

            "I like this shade of blue," Lavender pointed at a baby blue – ish color.

            "No, it is too milky and pastel-y. My complexion is tanned and this will make me even darker," Parvati complained. This was one moment she didn't like her sun-kissed skin color.

            "How about this one?" Hermione was looking at a pattern that was light blue with the color getting darker as the dress drapes down.

            "No, this is too different from Ginny's. The coordination will be funny," Lavender said still eyeing her favorite color. Knowing the tug-a-war of colors was not going to end soon, Ginny had to take charge.

            "I'll change my dress to that pattern. Besides, this one matches The Bride's dress better. Their waterfall type of color change will be a nice theme. I think Harry is subconsciously making the theme of the wedding tropical. We have lilies as centerpieces and other odd exotic flowers that I need to put have anti-allergy charms cast on them. He did mention something about The Bride being allergic to African violets, but that is off the bouquet list."

            "Gin, stop it!" Parvati exclaimed. Ginny turned to look at the older girl in confusion. _Stop what?_ "You need to stop calling the bride 'The Bride'. I can hear the capital letters you are putting on 'the' and 'bride'. This is a girl Harry is marrying. You can at least use some pronouns!"

            "You never know, The Bride could be male, or an it," Lavender pointed out. She had too much tea snacks and the sugar was making her brain do odd things. Hermione rolled the nearest catalogue, rolled it up, and hit the hyper girl in the head.

            "This is Harry, my best friend of too many years, we are talking about. I think I would know his sexual preferences." Lavender shrugged.

            "You never know . . ." as the sugared girl said the sentence, she gathered all the catalogues together to make sure there was nothing to hit her head with.

            "As interesting as this conversation might be, this is Harry. It might be funny with Malfoy, but the groom isn't the ferret."

            "You have to admit Gin, the ferret does look handsome," Lavender commented while giving Ginny the catalogues. Ginny took the stack and proceeded to hit Lavender in the head with it.

            "Hey!"

            "Hey what? You asked for it."

            "How did I ask for it? I don't believe I said 'Ginny will you please hit me'. But you still have to admit Malfoy does look good. Otherwise poor Aurora would not have been attacked by rabid possible Malfoy fiancées." Ginny shook her head.

            "Anyway, you handed me the stack of catalogues right after you made that comment about Malfoy. Any normal person would have hit you for saying that." Before Lavender could defend herself, Ginny gathered everything and bid everyone fairwell. She needed to take care of the new decisions and schedule another meeting with Harry.

            That was the end of the girl talk. No answers on the bride were gotten, only speculations on Harry's preferences, which only posed more questions. But the meeting was productive. Decisions were made and Ginny's friends had succeeded in getting her mind off of the mysterious identity of the bride. Though thinking about how her friends had succeeded in doing that doesn't really get her mind off of the identity of Harry's fiancée.

~*~*~

            On Ginny's footstep, a patient Aurora was waiting on the stairs. She could use her wand to enter Ginny's house, but that would scare Ginny to death since she wasn't supposed to back until July. But it seems the people she and Malfoy were looking for found them first. Now the funny thing is why Draco needed to speak with Harry "desperately" too. Since Aurora's home wasn't really in London, she thought going to Ginny's house would be a good idea. After all, she still hasn't got a reply. _Maybe she got another wedding to plan. Now I wonder why she didn't tell me._

            "Aurora?!" The dark haired girl looked up.

            "Ginny! It is so good to be back!"

            "Wow, aren't you supposed to be back until July?" Ginny asked happily. Aurora brushed off the questions with a shrug.

            "Long story. One that I will explain after I get used to the wintery climate and the time zone." The auror looked at the think folder Ginny was holding. "I see you have got another wedding to plan."

            "Yep. Good ol' Harry's." Ginny nodded vigorously mixed with a comical expression of wagging eyebrows and pursed lips.

            "Well, I guess I will have to congratulate him when I see him tomorrow. So who is the bride?" 

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's notes:**

Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I think there might be a little problem of hitting my deadline of Valentines Day, but we'll see. School hasn't been very nice on me and I have stopped working on my other longer stories to finish this one.

Besides, nearly failing a chemistry test isn't too encouraging for me to get a chapter out this week. It was only when I noticed I had nearly 20 reviews did I realized I needed to get a chapter out. My conscience would be nagging me if I didn't. Not to mention I had stopped at that awful cliffhanger. Though that really wasn't a cliffhanger . . . everyone should have guessed that the identity would be postponed until the end. But no worries, perhaps more tiny revelations will be made in the later chapters.

I think I will have about two chapters left, and an epilogue whenever I have time to do that. Two competitive clubs and the possibility of doing a sport is somewhat crazy. That doesn't mix well with two AP classes. It would be like a combustion reaction in Chemistry. You add oxygen to it and **boom**! Anyhoo . . . I should move on to thank you notes.

**Thankee:**

**Silver10fire**: Sorry, no telling. You will have to read to find out. ^^

**Kirina**: Thank you for the compliment. I don't think it is a great story seeing as I can definitely elaborate more . . . but hey, a compliment is a compliment is a compliment right? Did that even make sense? But as for you guess on the bride, I would say it is an either you know or do not even have a clue situation.

**Kanzers** clone: Is it that "kewl"? But glad you like it!

**Nia 88**: THANK YOU, I really did think my chapters are going down hill. The time I can spend on them is Friday night. It gets a bit nuts to write all of it in one night, then proofread (sort of) the morning before I post it. Hmm, tell me how you feel about this pointless chapter. I probably should have this as a continuation instead of a new chapter.

**Female Fred**: Being a runner can give you lots of strength. I know all my weight training did increase my strength albeit I had gotten lots of injuries while doing it. (Curse the human body's inability to endure overuse!) But I am still not telling who the bride is. Ginny seems somewhat out of the question though, isn't it? I mean, she is the maid of honor after all . . . and another note. Please don't hurt me or turn me into anything unnatural (lovely quote from Sam in LoTR) or do that to anyone else including you. I don't want to be responsible for damages. ^^

**Sara Lee**: This is getting confusing. But I promise to sort things out. The ending should make sense. At least it does to me, although I do have a wacked up sense of logic. And men are confusing too. I agree, sometimes I think they are the more superficial ones. Humph, and they call females that! Nevertheless, you do have this figured out quite quickly. Not yet 13 and knows enough human psychology to save lots of trouble . . .

**Cosmos**: You know, I could be those picky English teachers that ask you which "she" you were talking about, but hey, I am nice though I still won't let out the classified info. But I am glad you like this. Hopefully this chapter is good enough!

**Isis**: I am sorry? I didn't mean for it to be a cliffhanger. I kind of ran out of time . . . but I am certainly over the moon to know I have your interests in this story! And no need to spend money for hunting me down. I'll finish this soon, very soon. Give it a few weeks.

**Marajade3081**: Finally? Did you want me to update more often?! Quite frankly, the only time I have been good about updating is during the summer, when I have all the time in the world to write, edit, write more, edit, then post. This must be the one story I have that has regular updates. ^^ Now about keeping up the good work . . . what do you think of this chapter? Good, bad, horrible? Like I said, I think my writing is going steadily south. My English teacher, I could say, has taught me nothing so far this year.

**Wytil**: Now are you certain? She is the maid of honor you know . . . and the plot bunnies have been attacking mercilessly. They tickle my brain, but I don't have time to write. It is 30 minutes past midnight and I probably should do to sleep. Maybe this is why my notes are getting odd.

**Kitty**: Is this soon enough? I think you will have a big hint on the identity of the bride and the twisted plot will be reveal more probably next week, though I have three tests then, bah! DANG SCHOOL! But I love it anyway.

**Avalon**: Thank you for the vote of confidence, though I still bombed my chemistry test. I think I did well on my Spanish tests though . . . now lets hope the math test on Monday and the Comparative Politics test on Thurday and Friday will have better luck than my chemistry test. And I will try my very best to get a better chapter out next week. Believe it or not, the ending hasn't changed.

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: No problem about the e-mail. I just need to remember to send you a reminder every time I update. I think I e-mailed you again about you review . . . which leaves me somewhat wordless. But shrinks probably are called shrinks because they make your problem shrink. And what about Malfoy?

**Beth e**: You are? That's good. The identity should be ambiguous. That's sort of what I was going for. Acky. I am getting tired now. Sorry for the short note.

**Rhiain**: Eh, sorry? That is all I can say really . . . but hopefully you have nothing against me for doing that. I really didn't mean to.

**Arkaynn**: Yep, very tricky. Now the plot should be more obvious. Though the keyword is should . . . and the cliffhanger ruins all. I think this chapter can be called a cliffhanger as well. Now we get to wait and see what the next meeting with Harry is going to be like. And the test are pretty much hanging. No matter what, I have to take them. At least the chemistry test I didn't do well was because I actually didn't understand the material. Though the good thing is I get to have a retake. In fact, the entire class gets one. Ooh yah, more studying. Imaginary hammer? Good idea!

**Starborn**: This is cool? Hmm, I guess having fun hurting people's heads is cool. You never know, but thanks for the ego boost. ^^

**Ginny Drama**: Thank you for the advice. I think I will put it to use more in the next chapter when Ginny has the confrontation with Harry. The Weasley temper should flare then. ^^ And hopefully this chapter meets your expectations (oh acky, I am starting to sound The Great Expectations, though I am sure Charles Dickens writes a thousand times better.)

Wow, 18 reviews! The most I have ever gotten for a chapter! Sniff, hugs for everyone that had reviewed. They made me feel better, even after that horrid test. ^^

Thank you all,

Omni

Next: Ginny meets with Harry, has some arguments. I think I will have it take place at the ministry. ^^ And maybe meeting more of Aurora and Malfoy in person (not really, but you understand, right?)__


	7. Craziness of Frienship

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: For my lack of imagination and ability to form words, it is just a boring old disclaimer of a poor fan trying to work out her frustration by writing about her favorite incomplete series.

~*~*~

Chapter Six: Craziness of Friendship

            "So who is the bride?" Aurora asked casually. Though Ginny's reactions was everything but casual. The Weasley jumped about three feet. Aurora looked at Ginny with a worried expression. Ginny didn't respond, she quickly got out her keys and opened the door. When both women were comfortably settled in the living room, that was when Aurora finally asked her questions.

            "Gin, what is wrong?" The worried expression was still on Aurora's face. Her eyebrows were in a "V" over the wire-framed glasses that the auror quickly took off.

            "Nothing." Aurora gave Ginny a hard look.

            "After knowing you for so long, there is practically nothing you can hide from me. And even if you decide to be secretive, I always have ways of finding out." Still seeing no response from the younger redhead, the auror decided to try a different approach. She sat next to Ginny and went into mother-mode.

            "Please Ginny, tell me what is wrong," Aurora began as she rubbed comforting circles on Ginny's back, much like how mothers comfort a crying child. "You know, I am not going to sleep unless you tell me!" The motherly attitude snapped backed to friendly informalities. "And you know how irritable I get!" Ginny couldn't help but laugh at her best friend.

            "You are impossible you that? But the scary thing is, you actually will refrain from sleeping until you get what you wanted." Aurora replied with a wide grin.

            "Now spill. I cam not sure how long I can stay awake. The Caribbean time zone is too different . . . not to mention the climate too!"

            "Okay. Where should I begin?" Ginny asked. There was too much wrong. Everything is driving her insane. The little conversations inside her head about the identity of Harry's fiancée, the many apology notes and speeches she had to make, and enduring the emotional ups and downs that comes with spending time with Harry.

            "How about the reason why you jumped when I asked the identity of Harry's bride?" Aurora suggested. "I know I sound highly insensitive but I am curious myself. I don't think anyone was that involved with Harry. If it wasn't you who told me this, I would have thought you were the bride!" Ginny looked at her friend in surprise.

            "Oh don't tell me you didn't notice Ginny! He always flirts with you, though I suppose he is much more subtle than Draco . . . but I digress."

            "Aurora, what you are saying isn't helping me at all!" Ginny complained, though it sounded more like a whine. Aurora nodded her head silently while patting Ginny's head gingerly.

            "Sorry?" It was odd for an auror to squeak, but this was Aurora. Apologies and thanks come out of her mouth every five seconds (and they are always squeaked out). That prank Harry and Ron played on her had rubbed off. Now the Slytherin graduate apologizes like crazy. At least this time, Aurora didn't go on and on and on.

            "Anyway, back on that nasty, horrid, annoying, icky subject!" Aurora looked at Ginny in surprise. Some must have struck Ginny's nerve repeatedly for the redhead to have such a big reaction to it. This would be the time a redhead temper is even outdone, though Ginny is a redhead.

            "Well, it was Christmas eve when I got a letter from Harry asking me to plan his wedding. It was also the day that you left too . . ." Ginny paused as she struggled mentally. Should she tell her best friend that she was suspicious or should she skip over? The look on Aurora's face gave a quick answer. After taking interrogation lessons, Aurora is pretty familiar with how to question a person.

            "Go on Ginny, tell me everything. Every little detail, even the little conversations with your subconscious – I know you get them quite often," Aurora coaxed showing she wouldn't mind what Ginny said, even if it meant accusing her of murder . . . well, not really, but Ginny would never do that.

            "My initial reaction when I found out you weren't there was 'Oh my! Don't tell me it was Aurora.' I had saw an article earlier about you being engaged to Harry." Aurora nodded slowly making Ginny nervous. Is her best friend mad at her assumption? When she saw the dark-haired girl shrugged while trying to hide a smile of utter surprise, Ginny continued.

            "I knew that was outrageous since you said yourself you will never marry a Gryffindor. But anyway, all sorts of assumptions popped in my head. Though I have to say you popped out a lot. It's just your letters were not so . . . deep?" Ginny looked up expectantly at her friend hoping to get a better word for the feeling.

            "Uh . . . I am sorry about that. It . . . well, I . . . uh . . . erg!"

            "Oh? You have something to hide?" Ginny teased feeling more at ease. The red coloring on the usually composed auror's face was enough to send Ginny into giggles. It usually takes a lot to send the Slytherin into mental unbalance, although only small amounts of caffeine and sugar are needed.

            "Nope, nothing!" Aurora answered too quickly. Ginny gave her the Weasley version of a Slytherin questioning look. "Oh right. It might have to do with the fact that the stupid ministry reserved a honeymoon suite for Draco and I, and that I has to change my image into an auburn bimbo hanging on the arm of a new Malfoy. Brown hair does not suit him! Eck. This is the last time I am actually unbelievably flirtatious and somehow keep my IQ at the same level while gazing at Mr. PMS through my too-long eyelashes."

            Ginny could already imagine the scenario and Aurora would definitely be squirming in discomfort. It had taken her three years to get Aurora to confess she didn't hate Malfoy as much as she acted like she did. This mission probably was just as uneasy as planning Harry's wedding. At least Ginny was 100% sure her best friend was engaged to her crush/male best friend.

            "But back to you. I seriously didn't know Harry was engaged. The last time I check, the bimbos at the front desk flirted with Harry and Draco shamelessly. Seeing them makes me want to gag. But then again, those observations did help me with my role, which I believe helped shorten the mission by half a year." Aurora continued; it was a sure thing she liked to talk. That's why Ginny and her got along. Ginny listen, Aurora talks; Aurora listen, Ginny talks.

            "Okay, but Harry won't tell me who his bride is and I happen to be the maid of honor," Ginny mumbled as calmly as possible. The frustration was enough to increase her voice to allow people in China to hear her.

            "He what?!" Aurora exclaimed jumping out of her seat. Somehow this had make Aurora frustrated as well. Her hair now resembled a bird nest and Ginny was positive there would be a hole in the carpet (if she had any carpet). 

            "But to make matters worse, Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati are bridesmaids. And they won't even tell me who the freaking bride is!!" Ginny had lost control of her emotions. It actually felt good to be able to blow up like that. The cathartic complaining had released all her tension and with a small smile, Ginny added, "Did you know that Harry is about as indecisive as a person can be?"

            Aurora blinked twice. Then three more times. "You know what? This is giving me a headache. I am going to take a nap and clear my jet-lagged brain. Besides, I have to report to the ministry soon anyway, I'll yell at Potter later. And if I am lucky – or unlucky as the case may be – I will find some secretaries to take my anger out on. A certain platinum blonde auror is a good source of venting out frustration too. He didn't even help me with my luggage."

            Ginny looked at her friend unsure of what to do. She watched idly as Aurora settled on the couch and arrived in Dreamland. _Well, that's Aurora – acting on whims. The definition of randomness should be "see Classen, Aurora"._ Knowing watching a person sleep was not very productive and smart for a wedding planner to do, Ginny opened her portfolio and began working on her arrangements. Halfway through, Mimi came back from her flying adventure. It seems the owl thought her next stunt was to show how much she likes the sleeping Aurora. This usually consisted of owlish shrieking, snuggling, and tickling the person's nose with wing feathers. That had been quite a task for Ginny since Mimi had extraordinary strength and energy for one so small.

            THUMP! Ginny had been chasing Mimi and keeping her from Aurora for 15 minutes already. The living room looked like it had barely survived an earthquake. It was surprising how Aurora was able to sleep through all the ruckus. Suddenly, a high-pitched beep sounded from nowhere. The noise surprised both the owl and its owner causing the two to fall over a wooden chair. Obviously, another loud noise was made, that didn't matter since the auror was already awake.

            "Darn the socks!" Aurora cursed. She looked attentive and was ready for another assignment from the ministry. Ginny was tried to keep herself from laughing. Sure Aurora looked attentive, but somehow she didn't notice the odd sight of Ginny tangled in a chair with Mimi caught between Ginny and the chair. "I have to leave Gin. The ministry just called. Ginny?" This was when Aurora finally did look up. She saw the mess and the tangled bodies and object with unfazed expressions. "Would you like to join me to a trip to the lovely Ministry of Magic?"

~*~*~

            _Apparating is much better than using portkeys, _Ginny thought. _At least then, I don't have to worry about touching grotesque portkeys and landing on someone. Thank goodness I feel embarrassment now. I don't know how I would have handled the dinner if my face decided to stay beet red._

            "Ginny?" Aurora asked making Ginny jump mentally. When the redhead realized she didn't appear on someone, she relaxed visibly. "Your face is red. What happened?"

            "Oh nothing," Ginny muttered feeling her cheeks get hotter no matter how hard she tried. Aurora gave Ginny her famous "If that was true, I am a mountain troll" look. "I'm just not very keen on popping out of nowhere . . ." Ginny trailed off hoping Aurora would understand and let the subject drop.

            "You are a horrible actress," Aurora said with a laugh. "I know you always loved to apparate and dissaparate. The only means of 'popping out of no where' that you do not like that much is portkeys. And that is because you didn't like the trash that was used to make one. Relax Ginny. Seeing Harry shouldn't be that hard. You have to plan his wedding, so better gather your wits together and march in their like a stuck-up professional. And if he bothers you, I will be there in a second to throw his a punch or hex, whatever is easiest."

            "How am I supposed to gather my wits when the last time we were together, I landed on him due to the stupid portkeys, then those street musicians made me dance with him on New Years Eve with fireworks going off!" Ginny explained with trying to keep her voice in check. It wasn't loud, but the fierce stage whisper was enough to show how tense she felt. "Then I stomp off without apparating; Harry probably think I am stupid or something."

            Ginny knew she was being childish, but a person is allowed a break once in a while. She noticed Aurora's mouth was in a not so well mannered O. "I am ready to go in now!" Ginny announced. Without waiting for Aurora's reaction, Ginny walked confidently like a stuck-up professional to the font door of the elegant building also known as the Ministry of Magic headquarters.

            "May I see you ID please?" the doorman questioned Ginny.

            "Hi Jack, don't worry about her ID. You have seen Miss Weasley many times," Aurora's voice came from behind.

            "Sorry Miss Classen, but minister orders. Security must be increased. We can't let non-ministry workers enter," Jack the doorman answered. _Uh-oh. Thinking on feet is needed._

            "Miss Weasley is planning a very important event for Mr. Potter. She has an appointment with him." Aurora looked at watch and continued, "And she is already 10 minutes late."

            "I am very sorry Miss Classen. It isn't that I don't believe you, but we have a policy." Then he turned to Ginny. "Miss . . . Weasley? Do you have your temporary pass?" Ginny looked at Aurora completely confused.

            "Uh . . ." Seeing Aurora's signal to lie, Ginny muttered, "I forgot the pass."

            "I am sorry Miss Weasley. Let me get Mr. Potter, he needs to grant you admission." Out of the corner of Ginny's vision, she could see Aurora being childish – stamping the ground silently and pouting. "Miss Classen, you may enter now." Ginny struggled to maintain her "professional" exterior when Jack turned to speak to Aurora. The auror was still pouting. Deciding it was better for her image to just walk off, Aurora left Ginny at the entrance.

            "Should I just wait here?" Ginny asked.

            "Have a seat Miss Weasley. Wait while I find Mr. Potter." Jack brought Ginny into his mini office and he went to his makeshift fireplace. A head popped to the small opening of the door. It was Aurora.

            "I'll fetch Harry," she mouthed.

            "I am sorry Miss Weasley," Jack the doorman said after a few minutes. "I cannot find Mr. Potter." Just as Jack said that, a nicely dressed Harry Potter landed in the middle of the small office.

            "Ow, I think my tailbone is going to be bruised."

            "Harry?!" Ginny asked jumping to her feet. "Are you alright? What happened? Nothing is hurt besides your tailbone right?"

            "Hi Ginny," Harry replied unnaturally calm for someone who just landed on his behind. "The next time Aurora is mad at me, please give me a warning. She decided to use the hurling hex on me the first thing in the morning."

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Rambles: **I think I am getting good at ending at the worst time. But if I do not stop now, you will never get to read this by the end of the week. Things will get more interesting now. The next chapter will probably be out in two weeks since fanfiction.net will be down next Friday and Saturday due to reorganization. *sniff* now I cannot unveil the identity of the bride until the week after Valentines. What am I suppose to do? *sniffle* But anyhoo, 20 reviews that need to be answered! (I like twenty, tis a multiple of 4 and 5. Two of my favorite numbers!!)

**Nia 88**: Well, I suppose you question is answered in my ramblings above. ^^ Hey, I was reading your bio and you speak Spanish! Or at least I can accurately say that you write in Spanish. Thank you for the enormous compliment. I personally thought the flow of the story is getting too bumpy. This one must have been the worst. Too many names and pronouns repeated.

**Alphagold1():** You do?! Now tell me what your guess is. I would like to know, but I don't think I will change the plot I have in mind even if you get it right. If I do that, I would have to make too many changes. But I'mglad you like it. And Ginny will most likely remain calm until late next chapter.

**CarryPotter():** You'll find out next chapter. At least I better get that far. The chapter might be 20 pages long, but I have to reveal the identity; otherwise I am going to drive myself insane.

**SailorChibi**: Thanks for the new titles, but this one has rubbed off on me. I probably should have changed that little note . . . And I am glad you like this!

**harrylover():** Don't worry, join the club. My patience is wearing thin too, but if I had continued to reveal the identity in this chapter, my fingers would be sore. After all, Malfoy is some connected in this too.

**Beth e():** I hurried, but the next chapter can't be hurried. The only time I have to write is Friday night and very early Saturday morning. Since fanfiction.net will be close then next week, I won't be able to have it up. Sorry.

**Pineapplehead**: Thank you! *being very perky – due to reviews and that mocha cappuccino I was drinking* And I am sort of a fan of L.M. Montgomery. I like her stories, but somehow they can't hold my attention for very long. I never got to finish the unabridged versions of her books – read the shorted version for small children in 5th grade.

**marajade3081**: Thanks!!! I am having fun writing this too!

**Silver Witch**: Really now, and did this chapter help you with anything? Most likely not. There hasn't been a lot of hints besides – you get to choose. ^^

**Sara Lee**: I suppose I get the same comment for this chapter too?? ^^

**Pseudonym Sylphmuse**: Definitely an interesting wedding. Now how am I going to write the wedding??

**silver10fire**: HURRYING!! I'll get started on the next chapter as soon as I can – got a Trig test and a Chemistry test next week . . . and a present my little choreographed dance to the class. Un yeah, the next chapter might be awhile. Not to mention I have a competition coming up at the end of the month. Have to finish typing its papers. Oh yeah, track season starts Monday . . . 

**Female Fred**: Now worries! I did a retake, got better, had one of the highest score in the test (though it's not good like in the 90's, but the highest score was a low B.) And *unenthusiastic* Yay! Weight training. I am going to die Monday – my coach is going to kill me for not showing at Pre-Season. *pray for an easy practice*

**Gin():** Hummm . . . if you want me to take your guess apart, send me an e-mail. ^^ But I have to say, I am not sure how to respond. But anyhoo, hope you will continue reading!!

**Kitty**: Won't be slash. I just don't like it . . . my opinion though. Not to mention Draco being the bride is very funny. I can imagine him scowling in a fluffy dress with lots of frilly ribbons. Though him marrying Harry is a bit unimaginable for me. The two hate each other too much.

**Kylesmom**: Here's more! Hopefully this one meets expectations too. And hopefully my writing has been better.

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: Well, hope you will enjoy the rest of fic and see how it I am going to explain the rest of the plot . . . fill in the holes and dig more. So who should pair up with Parvati and Lavender. Not to mention I haven't decided on the groomsmen either. E-mail me your answer please.

**Avalon**: Ah I hope those test goes well too. I am done with this weeks test, but I still have the two tests and practicals for next week. Does anyone know how to write a position paper?? I could sure use help on those too! But thanks for the concern and you get a cookie. ^^ Anyhoo, this one might a cliffy too.

**Aindel**: More is weird? I think weird has a funny spelling. Maybe that is why it is weird. ^^ Any what happens will be answered in the next chappy. This one doesn't have too much action.

**Ginny Drama**: One of your choices?? How many more do you have? AND Here is one chappie posted on the same day as your review!!

Thanks for all the reviews!! Seeing the number 100 won't be bad. It would mark my first story with over 100 reviews. It shouldn't be too hard . . . not that I am begging or anything. I just like "good" numbers. Tis a perfect square, a multiple of 4 and 5, and it has zeros. (yeah, I like math too much). Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

_~Omni_


	8. Revelations

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: For my lack of imagination and ability to form words, it is just a boring old disclaimer of a poor fan trying to work out her frustration by writing about her favorite incomplete series.

~*~*~

Chapter Seven: Revelations 

"The next time Aurora is mad at me, please give me a warning. She decided to use the hurling hex on me the first thing in the morning," Harry explained calmly. Ginny didn't know how to react. _Now why would Aurora be mad?_

"Oh." That was all Ginny could get her dry mouth to say. The dried vocal cords and her mental blank couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. "Would you by any chance know why she is mad enough to send you a hurling hex that sent to down to this office?"

Harry blinked owlishly before shrugging. "I was hoping you could answer that for me." This time, it was Ginny's turn to look clueless. Nothing was said between the two for a while. Jack was the one that broke the silence.

"Well, Miss Weasley, I guess you could enter now . . ." Jack trailed off. Before Ginny or Harry could get to the door, Jack walked out to continue his job. Ginny helped Harry up, though the help was standing by him worrying endlessly and apologizing for Aurora's actions.

"Stop it Gin," Harry declared somehow very embarrassed. "If you are going to apologize for Aurora for everything she did to me, save your breath. I may get along with her better than Malfoy, but she is still a Slytherin – ambitious and dislike Gyrffindors" Ginny opened her mouth this time to defend her other best friend. Before she could utter out "but," Harry added, "Gryffindors like me."

"Be the more reasonable person Harry. If she really dislike you that much, why is she still working with you?" Ginny reasoned. She was about to say, "be reasonable" but since Aurora probably didn't have a good reason for hexing Harry, Ginny changed it to "the more reasonable person".

"Whatever Gin. As I was falling through the building," Harry looked up at the ceiling. Miraculously, there were no evidences of him falling through it. "Aurora yelled for me to get you up as well. So come on. I really don't want to displease her at this point."

"Probably right. She just got back today and had only slept for 2 hours," Ginny said in agreement. It was much easier to have a conversation with Harry now since the topic wasn't closely related to the wedding as well.

Harry had increased the length and speed of his strides when he as Ginny had answered. Walking from the first floor to the Auror's Office takes much longer than the speed access only for people of top positions. Walking past the general lobby had been quite a task since the room contains too many people for Ginny's liking. Just seeing all the young females giving extra looks to Harry then her was disturbing enough. Knowing Aurora, she would have smuggled Ginny to the speed access rather than taking the long way round. _Harry had been following the rules far too much to fit his Hogwarts year. But I guess the disobedience at school was caused by the constant threat on his life . . . as well as the well being of the rest of the wizarding society._

Soon, Harry led Ginny around a corner, where everything was suddenly more quite. Noises of people talking was replaced by scratches of the quill, quiet mutterings of conferences, and . . . muffled cries of . . . help??

Everyone in the smaller office looked up from his or her work. One secretary put a quieting charm on one of the doors marked "Classen Malfoy Potter". Ginny looked expectantly at Harry, who chose to ignore everything and casually opened that door when they reached it. A thump was heard as Harry's hand touched the doorknob.

"Uh, Harry, what exactly is going on in there?" Ginny asked in a small voice. The volume didn't need to be lowered, but just being in a professional environment was enough to cause Ginny to be timid.

"I have absolutely no clue." Harry slowly opened the door, which reveal a large chamber resembling a sitting room, and three doors each marked with the three last names on the initial door. In the door marked "Malfoy", a rather loud thud was heard.

"Malfoy? What is going on in there?" Harry called out. When he heard no response, Harry used a powerful unlocking spell to open the door blasting the opening the clear of obstacles.

Inside Draco Malfoy's office, everything was neatly in place. The only sight that was an aberration was the fact that the user of the room was bound to the tube in which message can be quickly transported to the minister. The auror looked pathetic as his mouth was covered in muggle duct tape, and other than that, he greatly resembled an Egyptian mummy from the neck down.

"Hello Harry, Ginny," a feminine voice said. The sound came from the corner of the room where the work desk was located. Aurora sat behind the desk with a satisfactory smile on her face. "And hello Minister!" Harry and Ginny turned back sharply. A man dressed in a prim suit had a companion by his side. The Minister struggled to find words. His gestured towards Aurora and the currently invalid Malfoy trying to explain the situation.

"And these two people would be Aurora Classen and Draco Malfoy." The other man raised his eyebrow in respect. Aurora smiled a greeting while Malfoy grunted. Ginny looked at the two of the best aurors in Europe unsure of what to expect. _Aurora certainly has a very odd way of treating the guy of her dreams. I highly doubt beating Harry up will get him to like me . . . though let's not get on that subject. He is engaged for goodness sake! What does Ginny need to happen to her before finally getting that hint? Oh no, please not this route of conversation again._

While Ginny was busy with her own thoughts, Aurora had given Malfoy a hard kick in what seems like where his shin would be.

"Ow! Dammit, geez. I am going to have a permanent bruise there now!" Malfoy shouted through his nearly mummified lips. Ginny broke away from her thoughts to witness the lovely event. How many time do you see Draco Malfoy, the son of an ex-Death Eater, heir of the Malfoy fortune and half of the Slytherin fortune (Yep, Lucius was on the very GOOD side of the Dark Lord), and Witches' Weekly's one of the handsomest bachelors being treated like a mere servant?

Aurora waved her wand at Malfoy threatening him to be quiet. Since Mr. Malfoy was raised under the impression of "I am the Prince of the World", he made the _wise_ decision of not obeying. A loud THWACK was heard and Ginny noticed there was a large hole in the floor.

"Woooaaah!" Malfoy shouted as he made his way down to . . . well, down to somewhere. The Minister, his guest, Harry, and Ginny walked to the side of the hole. To everyone but Harry's surprise, the view they saw was Jack the Doorman's office. The fallen auror's moan of pain could not be heard but the aggrieved expression on his face was quite visible five stories up.

The Minister coughed to bring everyone's attention back to him. "As you can see Senor Castillo, Miss Classen is one of our best aurors. She and Mr. Malfoy had just finished their last mission in record time – the deadline was in July . . ." It took a moment for the Minister to notice Ginny in the room, "And why are you here Miss?" Ginny opened and closed her mouth a couple of times unsure of how to explain. She actually didn't know herself why Aurora dragged her along.

"Ginny is my Maid of Honor in my upcoming wedding, Minister," Aurora explained casually. The Minister shrugged and continued singing praises to the aurors in the room – or was in the room, Ginny noticed both Harry and Aurora rolling their eyes every five seconds. _How mature._ After ten minutes of compliments and the egos of the two aurors currently in the room fighting for space in the atmosphere, a very skinny secretary walked in helping Malfoy. The fall he had experienced apparently was much more painful than Harry's. The secretary gingerly supported the Slytheirn's arms since he was too vain to admit he needed help. Though that was strange when he showed no apprehension for complaining like a baby.

"Fiery wand, Aurora! You really need attend an anger management class!" the blond auror cried out. Seeing as Aurora wasn't about to give up her place in Malfoy's chair, there was an interesting sort of battle going on. Nothing unusual could be seen, but the tension in the air was quite noticeable.

"Aurora, why don't you let Mr. Malfoy sit down? He has gotten quite a fall," the secretary/fashion model chided. Ginny knew Aurora wasn't a person to be chided; not to mention the familiarities the other female used for Aurora and the tone of respect heard when she said "Mr. Malfoy" does not help put the girl in Aurora's list of tolerables.

"I am sure _Mr. Malfoy_ is able to transform another chair for him to sit on," Aurora answered back mocking the secretary's sweet tone. Since the Minister and his guest had left as Malfoy came back to his office, the already low maturity and professionalism in the room had dropped even more.

_What exactly is Aurora doing? Transfiguration is not her strong point and she wants Malfoy to change something in to a chair?! He could easily change her into a chair. _Ginny cringed at the thought of having Malfoy sitting on her friend all day long. She looked at Harry hoping he might be able to stop to whatever might happen. Knowing Aurora, the girl has a tendency to speak before thinking. Sometime Ginny wonders who is mature one in her friendship of Aurora. _Are all Slytherins as immature and stubborn like Malfoy and my dear best friend?_

Harry actually had an amused expression of his face; this was the first thing that shocked Ginny. The second was the fact that Malfoy transfigured the coat hanger into a chair instead. Ginny was certain that Malfoy would have taken his anger and frustration out on Aurora due to the murderous look he was sending to just about anyone making eye contact.

The leggy secretary had decided to treat Malfoy with gentle care – cautiously helping him into his chair. Just seeing the sycophantic actions of the other female make Ginny gag, and she has noticed Aurora's look of pure disgust as well. The room was silent as everyone watched the secretary carefully get back to her full 5 ft. 10 in. height (with heels). Flashing a bright and flirty smile at Harry, she sauntered back to the main lobby.

Harry had coughed to break whatever tension was in the room. Since no one really reacted, he inconspicuously gestured for Ginny to follow. That didn't work very well since Aurora had began speaking again – and this time, she was talking to Harry.

"Harry," Aurora began sweetly. _Uh-oh, the same sweetness that signals the beginning of another Aurora Classen outburst of anger, or in this case, annoyance._ "So why did you say you wanted Ginny to plan your wedding when you were asking her to plan Draco's and mine?" Ginny audibly gulped. _She couldn't have been any more blunt . . .Merlin! Aurora could have given me some sort of warning about her engagement with Malfoy. I know the newspapers had made an announcement of some sort about her being engaged to Malfoy – one that Aurora didn't openly oppose – but still . . ._

Harry flinched. The eye contact he made with Malfoy erased any sign of he and Malfoy's innocence; so much for being inconspicuous. _Yep, shifting his weight, stalling the answer, definitely the typical signs of a nervous Harry trying to hide something._ _Oooh! And there is Mafoly playing with his hair – there goes the stylist's hard work!_

"Well . . ." Harry dragged on. He had been repeating words of the same sort for what felt like five minutes, though it was only 30 seconds. Looking at his male mate in the room (Malfoy had nodded), Harry began with another "well" sort of phrase. "Since this last mission you and Draco were assigned was supposed to take nearly half of a year, Draco decided to surprise you once the assignment was completed with a wedding. I happened to remember you and Ginny having this conversation about 'Dream Weddings' so I had offered to help Malfoy with his attempt of wooing his future wife."

Noticing Harry had nothing further to explain, Malfoy looked like he was trying to shrink to disappear, and Aurora had gotten out of her seat, Ginny chose to blink and look confused. What else is better than looking frazzled in a conversation of this sort?

"Oh, I am getting a migraine," Aurora declared and exited the room. Ginny stood her ground looking at the two full grown men in the room that looked like defeated peewee league soccer players.

"Couldn't you have just told me the wedding was for Aurora?" Ginny asked finally. The question was one of those obvious ones where people's responses are sarcastic "great observations, Watson," or "Way to go Captain Obvious."

"Besides," Ginny added, "The floral arrangements are somewhat off." She was about to continue pointing out the differences in what Aurora's dream wedding was, but a dark haired head popped out motioning for Ginny to follow.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Notes:**

Gah! That was a really BAD chapter!!! I had a really horrible writer's block halfway through writing. Seeing as this was supposed to be the end, I am not sure what to do next. After all, the mystery is solved. If I continued, the story would seem like it's being dragged on.

Does anyone have any suggestions? _My brain is dead since it is one in the morning and I have a doctor's appointment at 7 AM tomorrow(Saturday) . . . yeah, need sleep._

**Thanks to all the reviewers!**

Seeing as I am running about of time, I would like to thank **SugarGirl**; **SailorChibi**; **NYC Gurl**; **Silver Witch**;** NazgulQueen**; **Aindel**; **SilverMoon**;** cutechica3323**; **Rhiain**; and **Kelsey**! The rest of the reviewers 

**Kirina** – yes, you have reviewed; 

**Female Fred** – sorry about the shortness of this chapter too! And I do sprints. =P; 

**Beth e** – Draco and Aurora are together; 

**Nia 88** – Not updated ASAP, but I tried to hurry. And as far as I know, your English is great, then again, English is my second language as well; 

**marajade3081** – THANKS!! You have no idea how happy I am about that compliment, though I think this one is really under par; 

**Ginny Drama** – So do you have any suggestions on what to do after this chapter?? 

**frizzy** – confusing? Un-oh, would you care to elaborate? This way, I can make it better. ^^; 

**Sara Lee** – Not so secret anymore . . . though it could be reality. I'd feel very sorry for the bride! 

**kylesmom** – I think you are number 100 . . . I haven't really given people numbers. But we'll just say you are; 

**Pseudonym Sylphmuse** – does that mean I should write about the wedding? Now should that be in another story, or continue on with this one? But anyhoo, cool name! 

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea** – hopefully that satisfied your wish. Sorry Mr. PMS didn't have a big part yet. 

_I apologize for those who didn't get a long trail of words directed to them! When I have time, I will give everyone a little comment from me. At this point, I am dead tired (gah! Hate that adjective, but it suits the situation right now.)_

_Please help me with my slight dilemma about this fic!!_

_~**Omni** (too tired.)_


	9. Problems Fixed? Nah

The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I don't own any thing that people can recognize. 

~ *~*~

Chapter Eight: Problems Fixed? Nah.

            The boy's plans for a secret wedding were foiled, and that was a good thing. The floral arrangements did not match what Aurora wanted. Working with a female had been much easier for Ginny; not to mention it meant working with her best female friend. Maybe there was a slight difference in the language a guy uses and the words chosen by girls. Planning with Aurora had made some things easier to take care of. Aside from sharing same tastes (which best friends usually do), there weren't side comments about some things being too feminine, or worry about it at least. Since Malfoy did want the wedding to be perfect for his fiancée, the two girls had permission to do whatever they wanted. Also with the Malfoy budget for things, it was easy to say money was never an issue.

            Now the problems that arise with Aurora being present is the fact that the dresses that were chosen needed to be looked over.

            "I really don't trust the men's tastes in wedding dresses. Last time I had asked Draco for his opinion, he chose a lime green top with bright yellow bottom. And his excuse was, 'we are in the Caribbean, flashy clothing is the trend.' Then when I asked him to look like a beacon as well, his snooty reply was, 'Malfoys must keep their dignity in all situations.'"

            "That's hypocritical of him, after all, you are going to be a Malfoy in a bit," Ginny comforted.

            "I am keeping my last name," Aurora replied with a smile. "There is absolutely no way I am going to be Aurora Malfoy. Somehow it seems oxymoronic." Ginny nodded with a smile. It was true that "Aurora Malfoy" is an oxymoron. The Malfoy family is associated with the dark and is snobby aristocrats. Now on the other hand, Aurora is the happy Slytherin that decided to befriend the enemy house – Gryffindor.

            "Your whole union is an oxymoron," Ginny said jokingly. "I never thought you two would be together."

            "No one thought it, which was why it was such a secret in the first place," Aurora replied mistaking Ginny's joke for seriousness. "I hope you are not mad at me."

            "No! Why would you think that? I mean, the 'rumor' of your engagement with Malfoy had caused a big problem. What would it be like if it were true? I am not about to loose a great friend because some crazed girls are who are in love with Malfoy decided to hunt you down!"

            "Aw Ginny, you are so sweet! Harry really is missing out if he doesn't notice you." Ginny glared at Aurora. _The moment she is back, she teases me about Harry. Well, at least she doesn't do that right in front of Harry._

            "Well back to clothing. The magazine that we chose the dresses from were from top designers," Ginny pointed out defending Harry and Malfoy's choice of clothing for the occasion.

            "They are fashionable, but that's are the catalogues that Draco's mother looks at. Personally, I do not like their wedding dress."

            "I know for certain your dress was NOT chosen out of a catalogue or anything. Harry only gave me a picture of the design." Ginny dug through her portfolio that was renamed "Aurora's Wedding" and fetched the picture out. "I think Harry mentioned something about getting it custom made." Aurora looked at the picture in awe for a few moments before breaking into a laugh.

            "This feels so weird! Draco and I are getting married, yet the name commonly heard is Harry's. Well, when you get married Gin, Draco and I will plan it so what Harry did for us will be repaid." Ginny had to laugh along as well.

"Yes, it is weird! Oh well, I know I am not going to plan my owning wedding so you and Hermione can battle out the right to plan Harry and . . ." Ginny choked when she discovered Aurora's insinuation. "Hey wait a minute! Who said I would be marrying Harry?" Aurora merely shrugged. Though when she turned her back, a well-aimed pillow hit her head.

"Oh, you did not just send a pillow at my head Ginny!" Aurora threatened with a smile. The numerous pillow fights the two friends had were famous for the duration. On an average day, the fight can last a half an hour, but today was not an ordinary day. The joy of planning a wedding without any more mysteries was a cathartic effect, but the stored up energy must be exercised somewhere.

After fighting for nearly 2 hours, a ruffled owl, many flying feathers, and a few friendly curses and hexes, Ginny and Aurora had decided to continue their wedding planning. This meant going to the various shops again. First stop was to check on the bridesmaids' dresses, which were finished the day before, and then Aurora must help Ginny choose the maid of honor dress. To top off that, the two ladies still needed to get something for the men in the ceremony. This proved to be difficult since neither Ginny nor Aurora knew who would be the groomsmen and best man. (But Harry seemed to be the best candidate in Aurora's mind and secretly in Ginny's as well. Then she wouldn't have to dance with someone she didn't know well.)

"Come on Aurora, we have to meet the guys in a bit," Ginny rushed when the girls had finished their furious wand-waving efforts to clean the room. 

~*~*~

Meanwhile in the Malfoy Mansion . . .

            "WHAT?" shouted the mistress of the Malfoy manor. The paper she held in her hand was thrown across the drawing room. The headline was "Malfoy Heir to Marry the Youngest Weasley?" Being the current Queen-like figure in the Malfoy clan, Narcissa Malfoy must keep up the current news and rumors circling about featuring her family.

            The newest edition of this certain tabloid didn't settle well with the older Malfoy. The picture inside wasn't one with Draco and Ginny getting cozy – thank goodness – but it was one of Aurora putting a wedding dress in front of Ginny.

            "Oh why are you doing this to me?" Narcissa grumbled. It was valid to say Narcissa chose Aurora as her successor. The Malfoys needed an independent girl to brighten up the usually boring aristocratic life; however, the excitement Narcissa expected was not an uncomfortable encounter with the tabloids, not to mention raging Weasleys.

            To make matters worse, the article decided to make the presumption that Narcissa's dear successor was to marry the wizarding society's Golden Boy – Harry Potter. This is another sign of bad news since the sources say Ginny Weasley fancies Harry Potter; not to mention this was confirmed by Draco's endless taunts about Ginny and Harry while at Hogwarts and Aurora's shouts of frustration about her clueless friends.

            _Oh bother, this is not good_, Narcissa Malfoy said massaging her temple. Another crisis to take care of . . . Her previous outburst for the unauthorized announcement of the engagement of Draco and Aurora had earned the Malfoy Queen respect among the media. _Merlin's beard! The last news about Aurora and Draco had meant bad consequences for Aurora, what is going to happen to the poor Weasley girl??_

~*~ finis for now ~*~

Omni's Rambles:   
  


I will just stop here! After a 4-hour marathon of typing this chapter up, I think I deserve a break. My next update might not be the next Saturday since school is getting more hectic and of course, there is track (groan).

Thanks Yous:

Pineapplehead: I was going to write the wedding, it was just a dilemma of writing in this fic, or have a sequel. From what it looks like right now, there might not be a sequel. I am going to make everything as one story – so much for the 10 to 12 chapter lengths. ^^

Gily: I think FF.net did the funny thing – when they don't show the newly updated chapter. But as you read this, all your question would be answered so yeah . . .

Aindel: Could you just e-mail everything?? I am sorry and didn't e-mail you to ask for more. School hasn't been nice and being accident-prone doesn't go well with a tight schedule either. ^^

Vesha: THANKS!!

Female Fred: Don't cry, there will be some H/G! I promise, though fluff isn't my strong point. With the new problem, I think there will definitely be more H/G!

Ella-Wood: Which wedding do you mean? D/A or H/G?

Punkin: Your wish will be fulfilled in probably the next chapter. Instead of getting yelled at by only Ginny, it might be the entire female population in the Weasley clan and possible even Narcissa, though she might focus on Draco. ^^

The Dragon Guardian of the Sea: Another reason I didn't send the note is because I couldn't get the link to it . . . And you are a genius. Congratulations, you are the first person that guessed that! (among very few people.)

Gin(): Am I planning anything for Harry and Ginny? Of course I am! If I didn't, why are the main characters Ginny and Harry?

DarkHorse: Is that good that you are giggling like mad?

Sara Lee: I might do a fluffy H/G part though no guarantees on its quality. ^^ Fluffyness in my e-mail only means my hair is fluffy.

Kitty: Yay!! And a smiley right back at ya! =P

marajade3081: So I have one person who didn't see it coming . . . at least the time I spent on trying to make this unpredictable did work for some people! ^^

Melzie Potter: Oh no, no kissing so soon yet. One reason is for the purpose of the plot, and the other is because I am trying to push it back. Never have written about a kiss, besides kisses make me squirmy half the time. ^^

SilverMoon: Mushiness probably will come later. ^^ And got any ideas for making things mushy?

Viva: Good idea . . .

Nia 88: Right on the dot! Tis actually a Draco and Aurora wedding. ^^

SailorChibi: I think I may drag the wedding back a bit. There must be some H/G action before I hit the end.

Silver Witch: Hmm, maybe, but doesn't that plan get old?

_Well, thanks for all the reviews! 19 is close enough to 20 . . . not that I am complaining. I am happy I got so many positive feedbacks. And see? Now I am prolonging the story. With so many help for ideas, this is getting to be a lot longer. And no worries, more mischief will happen. No H/G fic is good without the good ol' Weasley family!_

_Thanks for all the reviews (again) and I hope to read some more soon! (Yeah, but ego is getting somewhat big . . . need to work on that. But nothing a couple of history tests and rigorous practice won't do.)_

_Love you all,_

_Omni _


	10. BIG Trouble

_Ahah! I wrote much more!! Now this isn't so short anymore. No more self-imposed guilt trips. Now I get to wallow in sickness and only sickness. What a relief . . . no wait, I am getting a guilt trip about all the homework I haven't done. Grr, me and my annoying conscious._ The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: Don't own any character, besides some odd percentage of the Aurora character. The plot of a mixed-up wedding belongs to me . . . at least I think it does . . . 

**Omni's Note of Apology**: I had a fever yesterday and Nyquil knocked me out for 13 hours. I had no homework done, and obviously I didn't get to write any of this chapter until now (Saturday morning).

Please excuse the briefness of the chapter. Thank you!

~*~*~

Chapter Eight: BIG Trouble

            _Oh please don't let them get hurt, please don't let them get hurt,_ Ginny prayed silently for the makers of the bridesmaids' dresses. The color of the dress was wrong, instead of a light colored green, the color was a dark forest green.

            "The wedding is in the summer, not during the winter! Dark colors make the event forlorn. Sheesh, getting married should be happy. The lighter colors show happiness . . ." Ginny looked at her friend wondering when the explosion would happen. It was more unnerving to have Aurora rambling like a constant monologue than just one powerful hex direction at someone or some object.

            "I am sorry Miss Classen. We will have the dresses fixed by tomorrow," the shopkeeper mumbled with a shaking voice. _Hm, he at least has enough sense to act inferior. And look, Aurora is calming down already, but she still looks skeptical. Grr!_

            "Come on Aurora. I want some snacks and a rest. We have been walking around for the better half of the day!" _Good move Ginny, now you have just saved the shopkeeper's life and perhaps his business too. _Aurora paused to do what Ginny calls the "de-stress exercise" and silently nodded without acknowledging the shopkeeper.

            Ginny didn't have to drag Aurora out, but the need to treat Aurora like a child was apparent when the supposed grown-up won't eat.

            "Ginny, if the dresses had problem, something else must be wrong too!"

            "Aurora, get a grip. You wedding is still months away, problems are bound to happen. But you have time! Come on. I did mean it when I said I wanted some snacks." Aurora shrugged and followed Ginny to the ice cream stand.

            "A mint chocolate chip with a scoop of strawberry please," Ginny ordered. She looked at Aurora who nodded, "And another one with mint chocolate chip, only no strawberry." After waiting a few moments, Ginny had two waffle bowls with ice cream piled beyond the top in her hand.

            "Eat," Ginny ordered. In a situation like this, the best way to get Aurora to comply is being motherly and bossy. Scooping up a large chunk of ice cream, Ginny jammed into in front of Aurora's face.

            "You, you'd make a good mother," Aurora said sarcastically. "What a great way of feeding you kid." Ginny rolled her eyes.

            "My child would not be in her early twenties with the ability to feed herself!" Aurora took the spoon from Ginny's hand and proceeded to eat her ice cream. The joy of having the creamy dessert melt on the tongue was the perfect way for Ginny to get relaxed and Aurora to forget about the stress of her wedding.

            The two best friends had long finished their ice cream and were just sitting at the table chatting happily about just about anything that can be the topic of conversation.

            "Aurora, why are those girls giving me harsh looks?" Ginny asked after she noticed the third group of girls glaring at her within five minutes. Aurora turned to look around and the girls scuttled off acting as if nothing happened, or they had just played a prank.

            "I don't know. Did any tabloid feature anything about you?" Aurora asked. "Taking you to the office and me causing a scene probably wasn't such a good idea. Some of the people that work in the lobby are nosy and can't keep their mouths shut." Ginny searched her head about anything that might lead to her being in trouble with the media.

            "Nope, nothing that I can remember. And I haven't read any sort of paper like those in a while." Aurora was about to respond, but a formally dressed man walked up to the two friends relaxing.

            "Miss Classen, Miss Weasley," the man bowed in respect. "Mrs. Malfoy wishes to speak with you." Ginny rose her eyebrow silently inquiring what was wrong. Aurora shrugged mentally back.

            "Thank you, Geoffrey. Is it urgent?"

            "Yes. I believe Mrs. Malfoy said immediately." Aurora nodded and began cleaning her mess from the ice cream.

            "Give me five minutes." Geoffrey nodded and disapparated, probably back to the Malfoy manor.

            Ginny was confused during the entire conversation. What did the Narcissa Malfoy want with her? She may be friends with a future Malfoy, but the Weasleys and Malfoys still did not get along, especially for the generations prior to hers.

            A flutter of a wing distracted Ginny from her jumbled thoughts.

            "Isn't that your parents' owl?" Aurora asked. Ginny nodded and took the note off the little owl's claws. Reading the note rapidly, Ginny's eyebrows formed into a "V". "What is wrong?"

            "My parents want to talk to me immediately as well." Just as Ginny muttered this, an ordinary owl dropped a tabloid-like magazine onto the table. The headline was in bold letters and animated by magic to flash. Both ladies glanced at the cover, and simultaneous cursed.

"Oh poop!"

"Um Gin, I really need to go to the Malfoy manor. You send a reply to your parents that you will meet them there. Also tell them that I will be there as well. This way, there will be no more assumptions that will make the problem worse," Aurora directed, which Ginny complied.

With a pop, both ladies disappeared and found moments later on the outskirts of the Malfoy territory.

~*~*~

            Ginny was in awe with the environment around her. Tall trees and green grass with little patches of wild flowers surrounded her. The resemblance to her dream location to be was uncanny. _Great, the one sort of place I like happens to be situated on the outskirts of the Malfoy manor. _Aurora seemed undisturbed by the scenery though. She marched to Ginny and pulled Ginny towards somewhere. The place the two girls had landed could easily be passed for the center of a forest.

            "Aurora? Are you sure we are at the right place?" Ginny asked. The situation was ideal for being lost. Apparate somewhere that looks like the middle of nowhere. Aurora merely nodded and held out her wand. She muttered some incantation that Ginny couldn't hear, and a door appeared. Aurora turned the knob and motioned for Ginny to enter.

            Just looking through the door looked like you are about to walk into oblivion. But once you stepped through, momentary darkness and a large gate appeared. Geoffrey was right by the gate and ushered Aurora and Ginny in. 

            "Welcome to the Malfoy manor," Geoffrey greeted. "Mrs. Malfoy is waiting for them in the drawing room." Ginny followed Aurora to the long path to enter the actual building.

            "Wait," Ginny stopped suddenly. "If we went through this difficult task of getting to the house, wouldn't my parents have a hard time??"

            "They shouldn't," Aurora answered. "Your father had many raids to the manor, he should know the way." Ginny shrugged. The answer didn't settle her doubts.

            "But he had ministry permission then. They must have had some special spell or whatever to penetrate the security system." Aurora nodded thoughtfully and forced Ginny to continue again.

            "Come on. I know Mrs. Malfoy does not like to be kept in waiting. We better hurry. I ask about your parents later. It will take awhile for the owl to reach them anyway."

~*~*~

            "Hello Aurora, Miss Weasley," Narcissa Malfoy said in greeting. A table set for five people were in the middle of the room. Please take a seat. Our discussion will begin once your parent arrive, Ginny."

            "Well, that solves the problem of them getting here," Aurora announced. Ginny winced at Aurora's actions. _Wouldn't it offend the older Malfoy?_ Bracing for a denouncement, Ginny tensed. However, Mrs. Malfoy's reaction was a twinkling laugh.

            "I had thought Molly and Arthur Weasley would want to speak to their only daughter about this situation," Narcissa answered. "You do know the situation right?" Aurora nodded. "Good, the owl reached you on time then."

            "I didn't get to read the article," Aurora began. "What did they say exactly?" Narcissa began to paraphrase the article. Once her story was done, Ginny's parents still have not arrived.

            "Hmm, I think they might have gotten lost," Narcissa guessed. "Geoffrey!" the man quickly appeared.

            "Yes madam?"

            "Please go make sure the Weasley's are not lost." The man bowed and went off to complete his task, in whichever way.

            "Now you have been very quiet Ginny," Narcissa observed. "You needn't be so stressed about meeting me. After all, I am certain we will be seeing more of each other. I don't mean for Aurora to end all contact with you once she gets married." Ginny blushed at the older woman's clairvoyance. "I know the Malfoy's and Weasleys have had a long grudge; however, with Draco and Aurora's union, I hope to end this silly animosity. Though I didn't expect for it to be you and Draco." Ginny's only response was a redder face. It was then Aurora chose to save Ginny's dignity.

            "Mrs. Malfoy, did you send for Harry and Draco as well? I think they need to be present too."

            "Call me anything but that dear, after all, you are going to be my daughter in a few months," the older woman chided with a smile. Her fondness for Aurora was quite evident in her behavior. "I did send for them, but Draco said they will be late. It seems the ministry wants him and Harry to question some person."

            "Please excuse me," Aurora declared. Ginny looked at her friend with widen eyes. _What is she pulling? She is not supposed to leave me with Narcissa Malfoy. This is Narcissa Malfoy of all people!_ To Ginny's awful luck, she was indeed left alone with Narcissa Malfoy.

            _Here comes the interrogation of all interrogations!_

~*~*~

**Omni's Rambles: **Acky, I don't like being sick. It messes up my brain. I want to thank everyone, but the drowsiness for even the non-drowsy Dayquil is making me sleepy.

Thanks for everyone that is putting up with this short and somewhat meaningless chapter!

~Omni (sick, tired, and way too much homework)

P.S: I'll thank everyone by e-mail as soon as I gather up all my brain cells. ^^


	11. Confrontations

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Own only what people do not recognize. ^^

Author's Note: I had begun this at a track meet, so the mentality was "here I am, trapped at a track meet with my companions, Fujitsu and Plot Bunny. Let's see what new plot is this new environment is going to whip up."

~*~*~

Chapter Ten: Confrontations 

            Ginny's took advantage of her having two hands to calm her nerves. If she thought waiting for her Hogwarts letter was nerve wracking, this was infinitively worse. Having a demanding aristocratic housewife swirling her tea while pursing her lips was not easy on thoughts of impending doom.

            "So Miss Weasley, I heard you were planning Draco and Aurora's wedding," the older woman said, perhaps making conversation. _That or giving me time to feel relaxed then take a strike . . ._

            "Yes Mrs. Malfoy."

            "Please don't call me that. It makes me feel old. Narcissa would be fine." The smile that accompanied the comment made Ginny flinch inwardly. _Why do I feel like I am meeting my in-laws? One secret test after another, waiting for you to mess up and before you know it, you are kicked out._

            Ginny could hear footsteps approaching her. Though for a few moments, Ginny had thought it was her imagination, and for a flutter in her stomach, Ginny sincerely wished they noise belonged to her parents. To Ginny's relief, the footsteps had belonged to a maid, who brought more tea.

            Silence had endured. Mrs. Malfoy was still stirring her tea with pursed lips and Ginny was a nervous wreck inside. The two ladies sat quietly with their mind immersed in their own thoughts. While Ginny had random phrases popping in her otherwise blank mind, Mrs. Malfoy was busy planning Project Fix-up for the media proclamation. Aurora's absence felt like eternity for the two ladies. For one, silence has always been a sign of weakness in the Malfoy code of conduct. And two, both ladies were from opposite ends of the poles.

            "Hi, I am back," announced Aurora stating the obvious. Normally Ginny would have replied with a sarcastic remark, but the daunting presence of Narcissa Malfoy rendered the usually fiery redhead speechless. Ginny had noticed Aurora's subtle movements of the head observing both herself and Mrs. Malfoy. It seems Aurora had noticed the pleas written cross Ginny's brow and made an excuse for an escape.

            "I had my odd vibes about Draco's presence, so I went to check," Aurora explained. Ginny had raised an inquisitive eyebrow. _I am her best friend yet I didn't know she had this supernatural superstition about her fiancé?! Alrighty, first she leaves me for the dogs by making sit through a long time with Mrs. Malfoy and now she decides to tell me about her unhealthy obsession with Malfoy. Grr, next question: will she elaborate?_

            "And?" Mrs. Malfoy's expression seemed to declare. Though unbeknownst to Ginny, both her and Mrs. Malfoy had the identical delicate eyebrow raise. Aurora hadn't taken any notice, or if she did, her expressions did not betray her actual feelings. However, this was noted by the entering Draco Malfoy with a horrified gasp followed by a confused Harry. Aurora turned to face her fiancé.

            "What now?"

            "They . . . they . . . the eyebrow thing!" Malfoy stuttered while pointing at the now confused expressions on both Ginny and his mother's face. That however, did not change the whole "eyebrow thing" as Draco named it. The confusion had made the similarity of facial expressions more obvious.

            "Oh I see it!" Harry declared. Both he and his partner had burst out laughing.

            "This must be a good trait Potter," Draco teased. Still, Ginny was confused; on the other hand, Mrs. Malfoy had finally understood the humor.

            "She would be quite the wife, Harry," Mrs. Malfoy added before sipping her tea to hide a smile. Ginny slowly looked at each laughing face, only to turn to Aurora for some sort of an explanation. Her friend only shrugged and mouthed "I'll explain later." The somehow humorous situation had definitely relieved the tension that previously filled the room, but Ginny felt like she was the butt of a joke that she did not understand. This didn't bode well for her self-confidence and in turn, her ego. And to make things worse, was the joke another jab at Harry and herself?

            "Are you certain Mr. and Mrs. Weasley are not lost?" Aurora asked trying to bring the situation back to the issue at hand. _Uh-oh. Wrong question to ask – this is bound to stir up awful reminder of the raids on the Malfoy manor. Oh shoot, I really don't feel mentally apt to prepare myself for being kicked out after being made fun of._

            "I don't know," Mrs. Malfoy replied to Ginny's surprise. The older woman showed no hostility to the family name, and if memories were brought up, she had definitely concealed it with expertise. "Geoffrey! Please go check for Arthur and Molly Weasley. They have been delayed for too long."

            The servant entered the room, bowed, and exited; all of there were done in a span of five seconds. Ginny found her thoughts wonder to how it is possible for Geoffrey to do these actions with dignity. Although his social position was low, his composure held more confidence and pride then what Ginny thought her aura proclaimed.

            Aurora and Mrs. Malfoy had begun their whispered conversation on the subject of something. That something must have irked a particular member of the conversation and Ginny now needed to be the referee.

            "Ginny, you are the expert at this," Mrs. Malfoy began. "How long will it take for the tailors to fix the dresses?"

            "What dresses?" were the replies from the males in the room. They were too busy with gossip from their office. It had something to do with a certain secretary that was interested in a certain auror – Harry.

            Mrs. Malfoy had given a quick briefing to the men about the current situation of the wedding, as well as a debriefing on the tabloid issue. The reactions were unexpected. Harry tensed only to relax when Draco laughed and politely insulted Ginny.

            "As much as all the compliments given to you by our colleagues, I don't think you will bode well as the wife of a Malfoy. Besides, if my sources are correct, your heart is already leaning towards someone." The subtle eye contact Malfoy made to Aurora was not missed by Ginny. The redhead glared at her best friend and wondered how many other secrets were divulged to the intruder.

            _Maybe marriage does change people and come between friendships. Aurora is marrying into a family that does not get along with my very well . . . that is an understatement. It is valid to say our families have had a long held grudge over I don't know what. I suppose the tabloids are going to have fun with the dramatics a "union" of Malfoy and I will bring. Yep, like the Romeo and Juliet stories – two feuding families with a young couple whose love is doomed to fail._

_            Note to self: Hurt Aurora after this tea party._

            "Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley." Geoffrey bowed and exited the room again. A maid quickly came and helped the Weasleys' to a seat and poured the tea. She quickly exited the room as well giving all the members involved in the new scandal privacy to discuss damage control.

            "Before we begin," Mrs. Malfoy started as soon as Molly Weasley opened her mouth, "I would like to apologize to everyone on behalf of Aurora. I am sorry about the trouble and inconvenience her careless actions have caused." Ginny noticed her usually fiery best friend accept her future mother-in-law's disapproval. _She didn't do anything wrong really. We were just having fun while going through the tedious job of dress hunting._

            Ginny was about to defend Aurora when she noticed her friend's silent hints of dropping the subject and let the dragon finished her rant. To Ginny's surprise, her parents were handling everything calmly. There were no burst of anger at the scandal; in fact, her parents seemed to be somewhat pleased that something like this had happened. _Is there something I should know??_ Everyone else in the room didn't allow the presence of the older Weasleys to deter their thoughts on the previous topic. 

            "Right, it should take too long for the bridesmaids' dresses to be fixed. From what I can gather about the storekeeper, he seemed genuinely relieved that Aurora decided to get ice cream." The observation wasn't Ginny's bold attempt make humor, but it did succeed. Everyone made another comment about Aurora's short temper and how it will be even worse after marrying Draco Malfoy.

            Mrs. Malfoy was perceptive enough to ask Molly and Arthur Weasley if they had the need to do something. Since Draco didn't actually do anything with Ginny nor vice versa, and the same for Harry and Aurora, there wasn't much for Molly and Arthur to be mad about. It was obvious to anyone that Draco and Aurora were smitten young loves caught in the midst of the media frenzy. To Ginny's surprise, her parents actually sympathized with Mrs. Malfoy and apologized on her behalf! Aurora had the audacity to smile, and Ginny'e resolve to hurt her best friend was strengthened.

            Since the older Weasleys were quick to accepting the explanation, fixing the problem was very simple. A press conference will be held and Draco and Aurora will make an official statement about their engagement. Unfortunately, this means the logistics of the wedding need to be given as well. That means the bridesmaids, groomsmen, best man, and the maid of honor will be announced.

            "This would more work for you Ginny," Aurora explained with a forlorn tone. "The party will most likely have a bigger guest list. Media will want to come, the leaders will most like be invited as well, and not to mention every single acquaintance will be wishing for an invitation." Ginny merely nodded and jotted down all the new information.

            "It will be fine Aurora. You still have a few months," Ginny comforted her friend.

            "The press conference will be followed by a mingling time," Mrs. Malfoy added. "If you are able, Ginny, will you plan this public event as well?" Ginny nodded only to regret her inability to say "no" right away after leaving the Malfoy manor.

~*~*~

            All the preliminary planning had been completed, and everyone now had a part to end the rumors flying around. Since damage control should be done as soon as possible, the press conference was scheduled to be three days from today, meaning a lovely Friday night.

            _Great, I get to plan something without much time for reserving and such. This is going to be quite a task. Reserving something on a busy night with only three days! Well, since I do have a humongous budget to work with, this should be easy. If I can complete this successfully, I think I will seek a career in organizing social events rather than finishing my degree. Though I think mum might have a fit when she realizes I actually thought that . . . _

            Speaking of mum, I really hope she will stop her grudge with Narcissa Malfoy. This won't be good since both women like Aurora. Grrr,

            After leaving the Malfoy manor, Mrs. Weasley had complained endlessly about the condescending treatment she had thought her family and her received. It seems they did get lost and the fact that Narcissa chose to ignore them for the majority of the meeting wasn't a good thing in their books.

            Aurora had made the smart decision to not escort Ginny back to her house. Although a good friend was supposed to walk their friend home, especially if the latter is planning the former's wedding, Aurora probably wanted to remain physically healthy before her wedding. Being along with Ginny would mean Ginny would have her time to vent at a real live person. This would most likely end in the person being hurt due to an interesting combination of spells.

            The bright side of this arrangement was Ginny will now have more time with every wizard and witch's Golden Boy. Harry was assigned to help Ginny by Malfoy since he "did not succeed in planning a secret wedding."

            Oh dense do people get . . .

~*~*~

**Omni's comment:** Anyway, this is one of those boring chapters that lead to a more interesting event. I'll stop jabbering and thank everyone now since my guilt has been building up for a couple of weeks now.

**THANK YOUS:**

**Nimacu**: Thank you. I am always glad whenever I get a new fan. ^^

**Ghostcat**: I have to give you credit for reviewing every single chapter. Wow! Aren't your eyes and finger tired after all that reading and typing?  And yes, Mimi is crazy – there will be a reason for that. You questions should be answered in what I already have and future chapters.

**Female Fred**: You are welcome. Drawing things out is my forte; however, whether or not the drawn out chapter is good, is another whole new question.

**Ciara**: Yay! Thank you!

**Punkin**: Sorry, Draco and Harry didn't say much about the problem in this chapter. There will be more Harry opinions in the next. I should be able to uphold this promise as the next chapter will be Ginny and Harry again. Let's see if I can write some fluff.

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: I stopped because I got tired??

**Nia 88**: Oh yes. Poor Ginny. And you can definitely guess setting her up with Harry is going to wreak havoc with this rumor yet to be unsettled.

**KeeperOfTheMoon**: Should I take that as a positive feedback? ^^

**Aindel**: Thanks for the advice. And you know, those e-mail discussions are quite fun!! ^^

**Ella-Wood**: Thanks for your concern. Let's if this whacked up chapter is up to par. ^^

**Now thanks yous from the previous chapter:**

**Beth e**: Thank you! I did try to update even while I was sick, though since you didn't review, I don't know if it was up to your expectations.

**Ashtynn-Jade**: Of course Aurora knows something about Harry that Ginny doesn't know. They work together after all.

**Pineapplehead**: Did you like this one and the chapter before?? I like constant reviews if you haven't noticed. *blush*

**Lilia**: I know! They do seem to have a different sense of common sense than girls. That's just my limited experience with trying to understand them. However, I don't think anyone would do something like a secret wedding real life . . . at least I hope not. If they do plan this, they are stupid and insane. And thank you so much for the compliment – my ego is getting in the red zone . . . hope you will like the rest.

**Avalon**: Eh . . . I'll try my very best to have some serious fluffy in the next chapter. I have been dodging that since fluffy is definitely not my expertise. I am afraid I might ruin it all.

**Erica Evans**: Thanks – my made-up character actually has fans!! Should I be proud? Anyhoo, please e-mail me about betaing, pretty please??

**Silver Witch**: Wise words! I think I should keep that in mind in my reality. ^^ Nope, no D/G in this ficcy, though I do have another story in mind for D/G. That will probably be started after I actually complete some stories. ^^

Well, thanks to everyone and your support. I feel much better now – only the stuffy nose and cough remain. My brain has been functioning for a while now.

_Love you all very much,_

_~Omni_


	12. Chaos Unleashed Part One

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I don't own the original Harry Potter characters – nope, my imagination doesn't reach that far. All I can possibly consider calling my property would be the demented plot.

~*~*~

Chapter Eleven: Chaos Unleashed – part one 

            The rumor seemed to have spread through the global wizarding society in only a matter of minutes. The short walk from the apparation point in the Malfoy manor to Ginny's house was filled with periodic flashes from the cameras of reporters. 

            _So much for the promptness of ending the rumor, I don't think three days is quick enough. Though working for someone like Narcissa Malfoy would mean meticulous planning of a public event._

            "Of course everything must be elegant for the Malfoy queen," Ginny muttered sarcastically as she entered her sanctuary. The room seemed much more quaint since Ginny had witnessed the splendor of the Malfoy manor. The memory of being looked down upon due to social status stuck Ginny as painfully as an arrow aimed for the heart. She had always wanted to be successful and prove that a person can earn respect without being from a rich family. Her goal after hearing the first insult about her family's past financial situation was to get a high paying job and show all the aristocrats that a Weasley could earn at name in upper society, and a female Weasley to boot.

            Ginny laughed at the ironic situation at hand. Her apprenticeship lost its priority so she could plan a wedding for an aristocrat. Before Ginny could wallow in more dejection, the more reasonable voice in her head called out. _This may be a wedding for an aristocrat, but the other half of the celebration happens to be your best friend, who happens to be the one person supporting you through most of the decision she had made._

            After peeling her mind from the pool of misery, Ginny noticed the large stack of letters on her desk. Mimi was having fun bathing in the pile of paper. It was actually her hoots that took Ginny out of her revelry.

            "Okay Mimi, enough fun for you now. I need to check my letters," Ginny ordered. Her pet owl – to Ginny's surprise – obediently fluttered to her cage and locked herself in. Giving Mimi a surprised look, Ginny returned to her mail. Within moments of Ginny touching her letters, Mimi flew out the window for the poor owl was perceptive enough to fear for her safety.

            The letters on Ginny's desk had been from sources ranging from reporters asking for interviews, to inquiries from friends or acquaintances, to Ginny's professors warning her about the big step of commitment and its affects on the education process.

~*~*~

_Dear Ginny,_

_            I must say I am pleased to hear you have found someone to support your for the rest of your life for better or worse. But to be honest, I would never have guessed Draco Malfoy in a million guesses! Though the decision is yours and I hope he makes you happy._

_            Aside from congratulating you on your engagement, I must warn you that being a housewife will not go well with your apprenticeship with us. Your research on potions needs to be continued; otherwise the data will be transferred to someone else, and they will gain the recognition if they achieve the end result._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Morine Sebrane_

~*~*~

            Ginny felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Her own professor thought she was going to get married! The next few letters that Ginny read were from renowned journalists asking for permission to interview Ginny about her relationship with the Malfoy heir, and the Romeo & Juliet romance that bloomed between them.

            The letters from journalists had provided Ginny with the much-needed release of tension. The questions that were asked were outrageous. How would she know if Draco Malfoy liked a certain type of fabric for a lady's nightgown? The only person that would have a clue would be the women he actually had relationships with, or possibly Aurora. But the image of Aurora and Malfoy made Ginny shudder involuntarily.

            To Ginny's surprise, Harry's godfather had sent a not-so friendly letter to Ginny questioning her sanity. Adding to the surprise, he ex-Defense Against Dark Arts professor had signed the letter as well.

~*~*~

_Hello Ginny,_

_            IS THERE A REASON WHY I DIDN'T KNOW YOU HAD STOPPED LIKING HARRY?!_

And in a less scratchy handwriting, a more composed body was written.

            _What Sirius meant was he was utterly shocked by the article about your engagement with Draco Malfoy; not to mention the fact the Harry being engaged to Miss Classen had given the poor man a heart attack. Certainly he should end this prejudice of Slytherins, but the run-ins with Snape didn't help with moderating Sirius's "hatred" – as he calls it – of Slytherins. The same thing goes to you as well. I have to admit I was surprised with this arrangement as well. To me, it seemed like Harry was closer to you in respect to those types of relationships than with his coworker._

_            If you wouldn't mind meeting with good ol' Sirius to explain things, please let us know. Believe it or not, Sirius had sent a message of the same sort to Harry. You probably can explain along with Harry, if it pleases you._

_Remus Lupin_

_~and~_

_Sirius Black_

~*~*~

            Ginny 's face returned to the dark shade of red once she had finished reading the letter. As she picked up her quill to reply, Mimi flew through the window leading another owl to Ginny's living room. When the two birds had gotten closer, Ginny was able to see that the other owl was one of Aurora's animal postmen.

~*~*~

_Hi Ginny,_

_            I know we had only spoken only moments ago, and I am certain you want to kill me at this moment, but I really need a favor from you. Some how the news have reached my parents, and I need the presence of you, Draco, and Harry._

_            I had gotten a howler from Sirius about marrying Harry so perhaps we can invite him to the gathering of my family as well. I know for certain that I will be in for major hell, so PLEASE, pretty PLEASE??_

_            You know how my family is . . ._

_Write back as soon as you have finished,_

_Aurora_

~*~*~

            It was true Ginny knew how Aurora's family reacts to surprising situations. The announcement that Aurora had been involved with the downfall of the Dark Lord had meant the Classens would be visiting Hogwarts without its glory due to the war. The reaction had been a stiff and formal meeting of Ginny and Aurora's parents. It seemed the Malfoys had already known the Classens beforehand, and among the other familiar people to Aurora's family, Professor Snape as well as Professor Dumbledore.

            When the formalities had ended, the news of Harry, Draco, and Aurora's acceptance to the auror camp along with the familiarity of the three Hogwarts students had stirred something within the Classen family as well. Only the response was a lecture to Aurora on how to behave friendly to a person of the opposite gender without sending the wrong message. That had left Aurora blushing every time she faced Harry or Draco – even Ron. The other consequence was the fact that Aurora didn't have any _intimate_ relationship with males, at least to Ginny's awareness, until the news of her engagement with Malfoy. Perhaps that was what Aurora's parents wanted.

            Ginny didn't need to write back since Aurora had shown up at her door. The two friends saw the stress the young rumor had caused to each other and had a silent agreement to give out a hug. The confidence Aurora usually carried didn't seem like it had ever been around the auror, and Ginny's red hair was a contradiction to what her facial expression was.

            "Wow, not even a day passed and we look like zombies," Aurora said describing the obvious. Ginny waved for her friend to enter. After a cup of tea later, the two best friends had agreed to hold a private meeting with Draco, Harry, Ginny, Aurora, and any other family or close friends that need to have the information be explained.

            "Good. I'll send a letter to Harry, Sirius, Remus, and . . ." Ginny looked through the rest of her letters to find that all of her brothers wanted some sort of explanation from Ginny as well. They weren't happy with the information Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given. "And you will send your reply to your family and bring Draco along as well?" Aurora nodded in confirmation and the girls set out to write their respective letters.

            The answers came back almost right away, and Ginny and Aurora had less than 15 hours to mentally prepare themselves for the interrogation of family and friends.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Note:** Well, I was able to crank up a chapter of this! You should be proud of me since I had written all of this although I had an all-day track meet. I nearly couldn't post a chapter this week due to hectic schedules and overload of work. 

Well, hopefully this chapter isn't a half-baked job.

Please let me know how you feel! I appreciate any comment. ^^

AND SORRY ABOUT THE FACT THAT I DIDN'T KEEP MY PROMISE!!! I really did try to incorporate some H/G action. But as you could probably tell, Harry has to save Ginny from the wrath of Sirius and the Classens. Hope that is enough consolation.

**Replies to Reviews: **(I thought the section needed a new name. =P)

**SailorChibi**: And things get more complicated. Let's see how Ginny will get herself out of this mess unscathed . . . It is a no-brainer! Harry will come to the rescue of course. ^^

**Noelle**: Thank you! Though things are about to get somewhat ugly . . .

**Silver Witch**: Sorry, sniff, sorry. I shall withdraw and take a guilt trip about letting you down. And grow up to be like Narcissa? That is a nice goal. Powerful woman with as many admirers as those who are afraid of her.

**Punkin**: Wah! Another person I let down!!! *bad Omni, very bad Omni* But I like the eyebrow thing too. It probably will make another appearance in later chapters.

**Female Fred**: Other things? What other things? Sorry if I am so clueless.

**Lilia**: Thank you for the compliment as well as so much philosophical insight! I now know to plan everything, absolutely everything for my wedding. (If I ever do decide to end my not-ever-getting-married phase as my parents call it.) ^^

**Darcel**: Thank you!

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: Yeah, the article was meant to add chaos. ^^  And if you do that eyebrow thing, wouldn't that mean you would be a good wife too? Perhaps a good Malfoy wife?? Teehee. ^^ I think I am getting hyper.

**Amber Evans Potter**: So did you like this one? Feel free to comment on what you do not like.

**Viva**: I am trying to hurry up with H/G. I don't mean to delay it, at least not consciously. Maybe my fear of writing fluff is what is pushing it back. Hmm, I am going to need some help with that.

_~Could anyone send me any suggestions on fluff situations?? That should help me a bit. ~_

**Aindel**: Sorry, I actually forgot about that little fact. You have to admit our conversation was nowhere near the progress of this fic, or even anything H/G. The closest we got was talking about someone's infatuation with Snape. And I suppose this chapter disappointed you as well. This didn't have too much action. I do believe the next chapter will have plenty of action. It better, or I would get bored and hit a writer's block.

**Ashtynn-Jade**: Yeah, but would you still hurt Aurora knowing the awful situation she will be in with her family? Or did I make Ginny too soft?

**Pineapplehead**: Oh, I didn't mean to pressure you or anything. You probably do have a life other than reading fanfictions. ^^ Did you have fun during your break?

**Ella-Wood**: I shall try to update weekly, though my track invitational are getting in the way. I can't really get online in the middle of a track field in some high school.

**Beth e**: Oh, I am sorry. Hopefully the clock is friendlier to you. ^^

**AmaraDragon**: I did? Well, since it's already written, I cannot really change it. And thank you, I try to be different.

**Pseudonym Sylphmuse**: So should I not use too much conversation with sarcasm? I am bit confused about what you mean.

_That's all! Hopefully you enjoy this chapter. And we all know that we get to see more chaos next chapter, right?_

_Toodles,_

Omni 


	13. Chaos Unleashed Part Two

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Own nada.

Author's Note: This is one of those haphazardly put together chapters that could be deemed unnecessary. I hope no one will hold this against me, but this is the evidence of my pathetic effort to update often. Seeing as I am quite unhappy with my work, how about slower updates, but better and longer chapters with real substance?

I also deleted my author's note of apology for the convenience of reading. I tend to get annoyed when an author's note is stuck between chapters. Sorry about any confusion caused.

Ooh! Guess what? My auditions went well and now I am in the second most advanced dance group at school. ^^ (For those who care.)

~*~*~

Chapter Twelve: Chaos Unleashed – part two 

            Bracing each other for the arrival of family of friends became more of an individual thing. Draco and Harry had arrived early together looking quite harassed. As it turned out, they were mobbed by a group of desperate females who were saddened by their "resolve" to tie to knot.

            The two men found Ginny and Aurora in opposite sides of the townhouse (which belonged to both Aurora and Draco) busying themselves with something quietly. The two friends had looked like there was a fight. Draco and Harry went to their respective ladies – or rather Malfoy went to his lady and Harry went to speak with Ginny.

            "Did you two have a fight?" Harry asked quietly when Draco had dragged Aurora into the garden. Ginny shook her head.

            "Aurora didn't get jealous because the media thought you were marrying Malfoy, did she?" Ginny almost laughed at Harry's absurd guess. 

            "Why would she get jealous?" Ginny asked cocking her head sideways. _Good Ginny, you have mastered the art of not blushing when Harry is at a too-close proximity._ "There is absolutely no chance that Draco Malfoy even likes me. Besides, Mrs. Malfoy simply adores her so there is no threat whatsoever." Harry had squirmed in response.

            "So you didn't see the follow-up article . . ." Ginny turned to face Harry unsure of what he was talking about. "One of the ladies that bombarded us was kind enough to show the Malfoy and I a news article about you two fighting. I guess some reporter had taken a picture of Aurora going to your house in a rather distressed state, and the media took the liberty of making a story about it."

            "Oh?" Ginny tilted her head in thought. Currently, Malfoy had his arms around Aurora's waist whispering something in her ear, probably words of comfort. Harry followed Ginny's line of sight and noticed the cute and uncharacteristic scene before him. It wasn't common to see Malfoy hug anyone or thing . . . er, besides that mysterious pillow that Malfoy had announced its worth being higher than his life when Aurora and Harry had decided to attack him and that obnoxious bag of feathers.

            "Now isn't that most adorable?" Harry pointed out in a teasing tone. He had shifted to see better; his head was above Ginny's and without actually noticing, Harry arms circled Ginny's waist, much like how Malfoy was holding Aurora.

            Ginny relaxed subconsciously and leaned into Harry while carrying on with the conversation – to a different topic. Ginny had decided to ask Harry about the wedding and why did he agree to follow through with Malfoy's ridiculous plan.

            "You wound me, my lady," Harry cried in mock dramatics. "I had helped too, and personally, I thought the plan was ingenious. I had known when they were engaged since the beginning. There were no questions to whether or not Aurora was going to say 'yes'. The actual plan was to surprise her."

            Ginny rolled her eyes heavenward at the stupidity of the idea, as well as Harry's response.

            "Yeah, sure," she replied sarcastically. "And Harry, stay away from the theatrics. They do not fit you."

            "Don't be sarcastic with me Virginia Weasley!" Harry teased. "You have to admit seeing Aurora thoroughly surprised would have been a once in a lifetime experience." The friendly, and flirtatious banter had continued leaving the two friends oblivious to their small audience.

~*~*~

The couple outside had stopped their little chat when the little hairs on the back of their necks indicated there were eyes watching their actions. Aurora and Draco and stopped their little lover's chat to eavesdrop on Harry and Ginny.

"Took them long enough to get cozy," Draco Malfoy commented dryly.

"Just because my friends happen to be your enemy doesn't mean you can be the ass you were during school," Aurora pouted. "Besides, I think they will make a wonderful couple."

"Will?" the aristocratic platinum blonde inquired in surprise. One would believe "would" was a better word for the situation.

"Definitely 'will'. If they didn't closer sooner, I was going to play matchmaker."

"I actually tried, but that didn't work so well." Malfoy rebutted referring the Valentine's Day incident back in his second year. Aurora glared at him with a childish look of disapproval and managed to drag him back to the house. "You know, if you act like this every time your parents are about to be here, I don't think this marriage is going to go over very well."

"Now what do you mean by that?" Aurora asked pulling her fiancé's arm harder.

"I was hoping you would be a good mother, but that might not be the case," Draco teased. "Oh well, I suppose we must spend quite a large amount of money on governesses, tutors, and nannies . . ." Aurora stopped in indignation. Her face was red due to the idea behind having children and the fact that her maternal skills were questioned (though with good reason).

"I will not dignify your comment with a reply, but there is a reason to my madness. Not only are my family coming, but the rest of the Weasleys and Sirius and Remus are going to be here as well. Now I suggest you to be prepared for the later interrogations." The dark haired girl humph-ed and continued her journey back to the house leaving Draco Malfoy to thoroughly curse her and Potter for not informing him of all the guests to this private explanation.

~*~*~

            "Okay Lovebirds, break it up!" Aurora declared as she entered the room Ginny and Harry occupied. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Actually, keep on being attached at the hip. This will help with the explanations a lot." Both Ginny and Harry colored at the remark.

            Aurora had walked off to the door to let the first of the guests in and in the meanwhile, Draco Malfoy had made his way back to the room. Harry had recovered enough to give Malfoy an evaluating look, but that was returned by a scowl.

            "Well, let's go help Aurora deal with the guests," Ginny said as she exhaled the breath she had been holding since Aurora had "walked in" upon her and Harry. The threesome quickly joined Aurora in greeting all the guests that had arrived. Unfortunately, everyone had been at the door at precisely the same time.

            _So much for the excuse of waiting for everyone before beginning the discussion . . ._

            "Uh, which one is which?" a dark haired young man near Ginny's age asked looking between Harry and Draco. Ginny's nerves tightened and prayed for the superiors to have mercy on her and Aurora. Things were not going to be easy. Now first of all, explain who is the actual groom – who is the man marrying Aurora. _This is going to take awhile._

~*~ finis for now ~*~

Omni's Note:

Ack! This was such a done-in-the-last-minute chapter. I tried incorporating some fluff between Harry and Ginny, but like I said before: I NEED FLUFF LESSONS!!!

Thanks:

Ella-Wood: Good to know that I have support behind me. Guess what? I have another all-day track meet on Saturday. Actually, it might even be "had" depending on when I find time to update.

Lourdes: Yep. That would be why I had incorporated the little incident from Chamber. ^^

KeeperOfTheMoon: Uh, this wasn't soon nor long. Sorry?

SailorChibi: SORRY! The rescue didn't happen as planned. I had absolutely no time to write this so everything is a bit crammed.

Sara Lee: Unsubscribe? I have no clue.

Darcel: Yeah, I was hoping the eyebrow thing would make another appearance soon.

Viva: SOOOO SORRY! I will try to have longer chapters, but don't expect soon updates. That would be the trade-off. You choose, just let me know somehow. ^^

Aindel: Good! I have achieved the humor portion. Now this chapter was entirely odd. I must say the worst yet. There are so many situations I could elaborate on. Grr . . .

The Dragon Guardian of the Sea: Oh yeah. Definitely, though I am not that obsessed. At least he isn't an eyesore. =P

Pineapplehead: Thanks! But do try to give fluff suggestions. 

Delta: WOW, that sounded like you were in a rush. Take life slowly, though I probably should take my own words to heart.

Ghostcat: Yep, and that would be why I completely detest this chapter. It is almost nothingness. A too-long prelude to the meeting. *attempting to rip hair out.*

Punkin: THANKS! That did miracles for my guilt-trip. But it still wasn't enough for me to put it off for another week. Sorry about the lack of quality!

Female Fred: Uh, I am still drawing this out am I? Hmm, care to smack my head real hard?

AmaraDragon: Thank you! Hope that "different" is a good different.

Silver Witch: H/G in this chapter?? If it should even be considered that. But I think this chapter needs redemption as well. Just give me around three weeks. It should be enough time to wipe out something good.

Delta: Yep, I am dragging myself through this. ^^

Lis: Thank you. That's one of my highest praises. Oh I am so giddy about that comment. My writing style isn't impressive, but thanks anyway. ^^ And I have tense problems. My first language didn't have verb conjugations and such so I am still trying to get used to it. (After 6 years . . . That is way too long.)

Jeanine: Succinct but to the point. Thanks!

Saima: Yeah, I still get the little coughing attacks, but that is almost gone. Thank goodness!

Ashtynn-Jade: Was there enough? Should I have it be more fluffy? And *hint to all* yep, matchmaking all the way. ^^

**Responses to my deleted author note – about changes in my updating schedule:**

Ghostcat: I am glad you understand.

Avalon: Yeah, I have 2 AP classes this year. Next year, I think I might have 6. I think I am trying to kill my limited amount of brain cells doing this – too many late nights and track practices as well as clubs. (I have two papers due in a week and I have just started on the research for one topic.)

The (I'm too lazy to sign in) Dragon Guardian of the Sea: No worries. Everyone is allowed a lazy period – hence why I didn't update last week.

Pineapplehead: Yay! I have faithful reviewers!!! You get a big hug and smile!

Aindel: I know! But I need 30 hours. Do you know how much of a lifesaver those 6 hours are? 3 more hours for sleep and 3 more for work.

lily'z emerald eyez: I promise (or attempting to) have a good strong chapter by the end of April, or I'll hurt myself badly. Though that shouldn't be hard since I had hurt my back on Wednesday during track. ^^

Silver Witch: Thanks, now try telling that to my conscience.

I would like to thank everyone for their support. It seems my busy schedule isn't about to change until school is over. **So from now to the 21st of May, expect at most three chapters.** I have tests and finals to study for and also multiple competitions to prepare for. But the good news is that after the 21st, I would be able to update as often as I'd like. YAY SUMMER VACATION!!!

Okay, trying not to get too excited or the time will go slow,

Omni


	14. Oh the Humanity!

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Own nada.

Hello everyone, 

            I would advise you to brace for a long note containing explanations after explanations after complaints. Oh yes, also my life in the next three to four weeks in great detail. As I have noted in my previous note, my school ends in mid- to late May. In most schools that I know of, that means teachers giving out assignments one after another cramming as much knowledge as possible into students' poor exhausted brains.

My list of work: 1) Dance final – lovely choreographing project; 2) Spanish Oral final – need to write own story and memorize as well as make props; 3) Comparative Politics essay due on Wednesday, a test on Friday, oh yeah, and the rest of the curriculum to drill in my head; 4) English literary analysis essays – I have a slight idea of what they are, now as for me writing a good one? Ha! 5) Model UN papers that need revising; 6) Research for Model UN . . . grr.

Of course, I also have to study, study, STUDY! Two Advanced Placement tests coming up in two weeks followed by finals. Don't you just love end of term season?

Well, the point is: I have no time from now to May 21st, which leads to no updates. So to be nice and being lethal to my sanity (too much stress is bad), I have a eight word pages chapter. I shall try to have the next chapter as soon as possible. To tell the truth, I am getting tired at the absence of the wedding. Honestly, I wonder why I chose to write weird romance-ish stories considering I have no experience whatsoever in anything like that. But thanks you for putting up with me, and your support.

Sincerely,

Omni

~author who is looking for a booster package for a brain, and 30 hours in a day~

~*~*~

_"Uh, which one is which?" a dark haired young man near Ginny's age asked looking between Harry and Draco. Ginny's nerves tightened and prayed for the superiors to have mercy on her and Aurora. Things were not going to be easy. Now first of all, explain who is the actual groom – who is the man marrying Aurora._

Chapter Thirteen: Oh the Humanity! 

            Ginny and Aurora shared a look of reassurance; one of those private inside-joke type of action that everyone noticed, but could not understand. Both ladies prepared each other for upcoming questions that would make even the most suave defense falter. Though for Ginny, the look Aurora had sent her was enough to make her falter. The secret upturn on the corner of her best friend's lips meant she had something up her sleeves. The twinkle in the dark colored eyes didn't really comfort Ginny either. The coloring of Aurora's eyes had seemed darker in the semi-lighten room making the twinkle somewhat threatening. During the entire explanation to Aurora's cousin – the person who had asked the ultimate question – Aurora had been giving Ginny subtle hints at a short meeting as soon as possible, perhaps when distributing drinks as the first question was asked before anyone was even seated.

            "So you had a crush on Harry while you were in Hogwarts, and now you are engaged to your ex-crush's nemesis?" asked Aurora's cousin, Mike, after the long chronicle of life at Hogwarts.

            "Gah! No," Aurora answered. Her frustration was quite evident since she spoke with her hands. The cutting movement and the fact that her hands were hovering too close to her cousin's neck, head, or hair were as clear as a beacon in showing what the female auror felt. The rest of the guests, Sirius, Remus, Carrie -- Aurora's other cousin, and of course, Harry and Malfoy got a clear message if they were not careful, a misaimed hex might be headed their way.

            "Okay, here goes again," Aurora began again. "I am getting engaged to Draco Malfoy, the boy you teamed up with at my graduation to change my hairstyle to La Creation de Medusa. I would never have liked Harry Potter, the Golden Boy of the wizarding world: because he was in Gryffindor. Slytherins have this _humongous_ rivalry against Gryffindors. I liked to be different, but I wasn't about to date a Gryffindor. And of course, the fact that his glittering ego and being the target of my best friend's affections helped me along."

            Aurora's response had shocked nearly everyone in the room. Most people were surprised at the blatant announcement of Ginny liking Harry. It was quite obvious to the world that the Weasley girl and Harry had something special, but somehow those two were completely oblivious, that or they were in major denial. The obvious hiatus of the friendly status between Aurora and Ginny was shocking as well. The two girls were close enough to be sisters, and they had kept all of each other's secrets. This breach of trust although not very harmful – the only harm was perhaps Harry bursting a few capillaries on his cheeks and Ginny's complexion looking too ghostly – had changed the friendship between the two temporarily. The little announcement probably decreased the little amount of Ginny's patience for her friend on the subject of this crazy arrangement.

Sirius and Remus were a bit shocked at the big announcement in that their little Harry might not be so little anymore. After all, it isn't everyday their godson can turn so red and receive the news that a very pretty girls liked him. Before anyone could go on, Aurora had continued.

            "Got it?" Mike nodded as he absorbed all the information. "Hey wait a minute! Why didn't my parents come? I was under the impression that I only needed their consent, and they have already met Draco and became acquainted with him a long time ago." Carrie finally spoke up.

            "Aunt and Uncle sent us to inspect your fiancé. Besides, shouldn't your cousins get to know your man better as well? After all, he will be apart of our family as much you being a part of his."

            "But you have already met him as well," Aurora whined uncharacteristically. "Why am I going through this interrogation process from my own family?" Ginny had to step in to make sure her buddy wouldn't loose control since she had the funny sensation that she would later need support as well. Probably when the Weasleys decide to attack her and Sirius and Remus decide to be embarrassing. Just thinking about the letter made Ginny's cheeks burn. _Oh well, at least my skin color might be restored to its natural pinkness._

            "Well," Ginny began, "shouldn't we get them something to drink?" The diversion tactic didn't work as planned. The cousins had ignored her completely and were stilling bantering each other about something wholly different from the subject they began with . . . something along the lines of one person being unhappy about a really bad blind date.

            The conversation between cousins went on. Ginny had observed a second time the craziness of Aurora's extended family. They Classens were nutty, but they were nowhere near the eccentricity of the Weasleys. With George and Fred making mischief, the world must life in caution.

            "Oh Ginny, Fred and George said they will be joining us after the take care of their business. In fact, they will be here in probably a half an hour," Remus had added when the Classen guests had announced there might be more family members coming.

            "Right, Ron and Hermione wanted to hear first hand as well, though I don't know why . . ." Harry trailed off. Ginny had the sneaking suspicion that Ron and Hermione were part of the scheme of a secret meeting and the whole tabloid frenzy.

            "Ookay," Malfoy interrupted. He had been part of the amused audience. The frustration and various other emotions that were running high in the room somehow appealed to the odd Malfoy humor. "We probably should get drinks such so everyone will be comfortable." Ginny, Harry, and Aurora had nodded. "I have a feeling this will be a long meeting. If anyone is worried, the house has 5 bedrooms. That should be enough room for people to camp here for the night."

            With that, the four Hogwarts graduates went into the kitchen to fix drinks and pastries.

            "What was THAT?!" Ginny shouted in a whisper at Aurora. "What do you mean by the whole 'Ginny likes Harry' announcement?" Out of the corner of Ginny's vision, she noticed the hurt look on Harry's face, and turned to face the hero of the wizarding world. "Not that I have anything against you Harry."

            The smirk on Draco Malfoy's face was annoying Ginny as well. The youngest of the six Weasley children could feel her Weasely Temper (patented by Draco Malfoy in Ginny's 5th year of Hogwarts) trying to burst out of the mental confinement. Aurora had obviously noticed how stressed out Ginny was and gestured to have a tiny talk with her future husband about a little something. The couple returned from their secret conversation a few minutes later to help Ginny and Harry with getting the juice, tea, and pastries ready.

            Somehow that task of setting the pastries landed on the shoulder of Aurora and Ginny while the men had to fix all the refreshments.

            "Sorry Gin," Aurora said quietly. "I was a little bit frustrated. I should have known Mum and Dad were going to send Mike and Carrie to annoy me. You know Mike; he finds joy in teasing me endlessly and being difficult. Besides, it isn't as if he didn't know you liked Harry. Remember how he had eavesdropped on our girl talk a year back with Gred and Feorge?" Ginny nodded and allowed for her best friend to continue. The short stroll down memory lane had calmed her frayed nerves a bit. "I know I shouldn't have done that, but Harry has a brain – thank goodness. He will analyze the situation and know what I said he wouldn't take seriously. He has worked with me enough to know me well. Even though I had said something that was true, Harry probably would deemed it as me being at a loss for something to shout back at Mike."

            "Okay. I suppose. But I guess in a way, I should be happy you said it. A sort of weight is lifted off my shoulders. If Harry was smart life-wise, he probably would get a hint and maybe I won't have to make a fool of myself in front of him," Ginny continued more to comfort herself than Aurora. Certainly there were benefits to Aurora's outburst. Harry Potter might get a hint about romance just this one time.

            "So what are Draco and Harry talking about anyway?" Ginny asked looking at the two men trying to seem inconspicuous but failing miserably. "If they act like that on your auror missions, I wonder how you guys have such a high success rate."

            "Oh our success rate is high because though two can charm any dimwit female that is close to whomever we are looking for. I suppose there is an advantage of having two strikingly handsome men to work with," Aurora joked. "But anyway, would you mind to just be cozy with Harry tonight? One, I think we may have a seating problem so you might end up sitting in his lap. And two, you two act like that all the time. If you and Harry were across the room from each other, people will get suspicious. They might think you two are planning on eloping or something. Knowing Remus and Sirius, I think they'd make life miserable for you two."

            The line of reasoning made sense to Ginny. It was true she and Harry were close. It wasn't unusual to find them together at parties and other large gatherings. Hey, even in their little meeting to plan a wedding ended up with Harry dancing quite close to Ginny.

            "I don't know, Harry must agree with this as well. If one of us is uncomfortable, we will end up on opposite sides of the room anyway." Aurora didn't response right away. She was busy looking at the two men trying to get the drinks together.

            "Well, it looks like an O.K. from Harry," Aurora observed. Ginny turned to see both Malfoy and Harry grinning with their thumbs raised. The next sound that came was tea and coffee being splattered all over the place. That was followed by quite a rant from Aurora.

~*~*~

            Getting out of the kitchen was relatively accident-less. Aurora had kept on glaring at Harry and Draco, well mainly Draco, since they had spilled tea and coffee all over the floor and broke some – what Ginny believed – expensive porcelain cups. Aurora had grumbled the entire walk back to the guests about klutziness and spoiled aristocratic brats who are hazards to the world.

            "Gee, Ari," Mike teased with an evil twinkle in his eyes, "you might be marrying an 'aristocratic brat' in a few months."

            Ginny winced mentally when Mike bated Aurora.

            "What do you mean 'might'?" Aurora declared as she clenched her teeth. Ginny chose to steer the hyperventilating woman to a seat.

            "Okay, calm down Aurora," Ginny advised accenting each word by shaking her finger. "Okay, now what do you need me for?" Ginny asked turning to Sirius and Remus. As if on cue, Harry stepped behind Ginny and wrapped his arms around her once again for the night. Sirius was about to comment before the doorbell rang again. Aurora got up to open the door, but Ginny had got to the door quicker.

            "Hello Ron and Hermione . . . and Fred and George," Ginny greeted when she opened the door. Harry was right behind her and opened the door further. Behind the twins, was Ron, followed by Hermione. Bill, and Charlie were a little ways back. Ginny greeted each of the newcomers with a hug while Harry shook their hands (besides Ron and Hermione, which he gave hugs to).

            "Why doesn't everyone sit down?" Aurora said while she conjured a few more chairs. "This is getting to have a very big audience."

            "You'll get practice for the press conference," Ron chirped in. Seeing the surprised looked on Aurora and Malfoy's faces he added, "Mum and Dad told us."

            "If you already talked to Mum and Dad, why are you here in the first place?" Ginny asked becoming the whiny one. The earlier guests all laughed at the encore of lamentation.

            "We just wanted to be sure," The Weasley brothers replied at the same time and took turns patting Ginny on her head. It was then did the redheaded men notice how close Harry and Ginny were. The couple in question's responses were not delayed either. Both cheeks flushed red; Ginny lost her pale coloring while Harry looked at though he might be turning purple soon.

            "Are we getting another wedding soon?" Hermione teased with a smile. Both Harry and Ginny looked as though they wanted to shake their head vigorously, but the little hairs on the back of their neck told them Aurora and Malfoy wanted them either play along, or not do anything at all. They chose the former.

            "See? Why can't you be like Ginny's relatives?" Aurora complained smacking her cousin on his head with the serving plate. Before the poor man could reply, Aurora aimed another hit at his head to shut him up. "Never mind. I don't want to know." Like any good cousin for an only child, Mike chose to be the overprotective and skeptical "brother".

            "I just wanted to make sure you weren't making a mistake, you know. Remember when you said you will do anything to rid the world of evil?" The comment was another tactic of annoying Aurora, but everyone in the room tensed at the reminder of the past times. Although the Dark Lord was long gone, everyone was still sensitive to the events. Each person in the room had lost something in the long war. All had lost friends, family, and a piece of their personality.

            The murderous look Aurora sent at her younger cousin could have killed him if Draco Malfoy didn't interrupt the period of tension.

            "You mean you are marrying me to make sure I won't be the next 'bad guy'?" he teased. "Should I take that as flattery? I mean, every single time we go on a mission, you complain about my defense against dark arts skills. Well, if I was formidable enough for you to consider me the heir of all evil things, my talents shouldn't be looked down upon." The statement changed the atmosphere completely. Everyone was either laughing or smiling until their jaws hurt.

            After the war, Draco Malfoy had become a more down-to-earth type of person. Although he still walked around as if he owned everything, his personality was less snobby, and if he did act snobby, 90% of the time he would have been joking.

            "Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy," Harry cut in, "She had actually complimented me on my skills. That is quite a bit better than your treatment." As uncharacteristic as it may seem, Draco Malfoy stuck his tongue out and gave his fiancée a big kiss in front of everyone. Aurora's colour also turned bright red, looking like how Ginny had looked a few moments before.

            "Oh shush you two," Ginny defended her momentary air-headed best friend. "You all know how Aurora is about public displays of affection. You especially," Ginny added pointing at Malfoy. The room booed in disagreement about "public". Ginny rolled her head and mouthed boys. Only Aurora's female cousin nodded in return, the men were busy throwing comments to Draco Malfoy and Aurora.

            "Okay, I suppose your fan club is right about how your kisses render a girl senseless," Ginny said joining the teasing game. This had snapped Aurora out of her reverie.

            "You know, maybe you two should kiss," Aurora dared. "We'll see if all the Potter fans were right about how his kisses are like." The roomful of people was enjoying this teasing game. The interested twinkle in everyone's eyes, even Harry and Ginny, was enough peer and elderly pressure on the Boy Who Lived to do the dare.

            "If you say so," with that, Harry Potter placed a gentle kiss on Ginny's lips.

~ Ginny's Thoughts and Descriptions ~ 

Everything was better than what people had guessed. There was the customary tingling sensation, but it seemed more magnified. _But that's probably since this is my first kiss. Yeah, I know. Having a crush on Harry for that long has affected my life._ Ginny's mind didn't do numb, but the wheels in her head was turning overtime. The questions "what exactly am I doing?" repeated over and over again in her head.

"Ginny, are you okay?" Harry whispered worry marking his tone since Ginny seemed stiff mentally. _Oh right, I am not doing anything. _The little reminder gave enough daring strength to bring her arms to circle Harry's neck. Just as she had done that, Ron's voice broke through.

"Alright. Okay. Now break it up!" the over protective brother shouted ending the little sweet moment. "Harry, I want to know that you are my best friend, but that doesn't guarantee you safety. No man may kiss my little sister unless I give him permission, got it?" the response from Harry was the tightening of his grip on Ginny.

"Don't worry Harry," Bill affirmed, "I am Ginny's brother too, and the oldest mind you. I give you permission to kiss my little sister as much as you want." Charlie nodded in agreement as well.

"But if you dare to hurt our little Ginny in any way, I can't say we won't tear you apart from limb to limb," Charlie added with the rest of the Weasleys in agreement.

"Sorry Harry," Sirius joined in with Remus backing him, "Remus and I will join with the Weasley brothers if you chose to act in any way un-chivalrous." Harry saluted his godfather and other fatherly figure.

"Oh that reminds me," Mike cut in. "If you dare to hurt my little . . . I mean, older cousin in any way possible, you won't just find your limbs apart. Aurora isn't the only person who can curse!" Draco Malfoy had enough sense to be the good little cornered ferret. Everyone else did an encore of the Weasley Agreement. So it was official. The family members of the women involved in this madness made the men involved promise officially to protect their female charge at all costs.

"So why what did you need to ask us?" Harry asked his "family members". Sirius and Remus only shrugged.

"It was to make sure you didn't marry some former Slytherin, though no offense intended. You are a true Gryffindor . . ." Harry nodded cutting off the lecture of upholding the family honor and blah.

"So what are you doing here?" Ginny asked her brothers and sister-in-law.

"I don't really know. Ron wanted to come and he dragged Hermione along. Hermione owled us to join too," Bill explained. "I wasn't about to participate in this, but Fleur persuaded me, something about being a responsible older brother. Sheesh, I think you are smart enough to choose a man, and Mum and Dad explained the situation quite well."

"I just wanted to make double sure. All the press coverage was quite convincing. I think a picture from Hogwarts was dragged out in one paper of you and Malfoy together," Ron defended his actions sulking. "Besides, I don't want the world to know that my little sister can just be dragged into a scandal and we won't do anything about it."

Ginny looked at her brothers and wondered how their logic could possibly go through. Hermione seemed to have noticed the thoughtful look, since she spoke up.

"Don't ask me. I just came because it is the job of the wife to support her husband's decision no matter how dumb." Draco Malfoy seemed to be happy about that and turned to his future wife causing Hermione to amend herself. "Her husband's generally non-harmful decision."

"Why do you people have absolutely no faith in me?" Malfoy dramatized. "I am auror, a darn good one too!"

"Yeah, and that's why your father had to bail himself out by offering money for reforming Hogwarts," Aurora retorted rolling her eyes.

"Okay, no fighting. We want to go to a wedding!" Harry called out stopping what was the beginning of a fight.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

Well, that's the end of the poorly plotted chapter. I just thought we needed to get something out. Anyhow, for a quick preview, I think I shall plot some G/H matchmaking from our beloved characters that actually have some luck in the area of the heart. Oooh, just lovely . . .

Now Thank-yous:

Ella-Wood: Thank you. At least I have sympathy. ^^

Lilia: Thank you! I'll need the luck. Considering I haven't shown up for track practice for two days due to academics overload, I hope my time won't go down. But as for why the explanation en masse, the usual sense of overprotective-ness, and of course, a chance to tease siblings, friends, cousins. Who would pass up that opportunity? (Don't ask me.)

Erica Evans: Hi! I'll get you the rest as soon as possible I promise. Just give me a month. At this point, I am five feet under with all my end-of-term stuff. You know what? I have not seen any one of those movies you suggested. Is that bad? Maybe that is why I am no romantic.

SailorChibi: Err, so am I, but our district is funny. I think it has to do with the extremely hot temperature in June and we don't have air conditioning at our school. This H/G is quite short too, but we'll see. They'll get their share in the next chapter. WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL MATCHMAKING!

Sara Lee: Hmm, succinct, to the point, was this chapter good enough?

Female Fred: This better?

Catalina Lpez: Uh, is this enough to keep your interest?

KeeperOfTheMoon: Longer, and I personally don't understand that movie.

Pudadingding: It is necessary. My school has a fine arts section. That is band, orchestra, choir, dance, art, etc. But all I have is three more weeks before I have my time to myself!

Aindel: Uh-kay! Thank you, but if I were to be an author, remind me to never write a strictly romance. I'll stick with the theme of life instead. ^^ So how did you sister's competition go?

Wytil: You never know . . . plots change quite often, hence plot twists!

Ashika: Thank you! I wouldn't call it excellent though . . .

jlo's-lil-baby: Thanks.

Saima: Oh he will. I think those two are going to need a LOT of pushing.

Well, that's all. Thank you for dealing with my odd piece of work. Believe it or not, I am somewhat embarrassed about this chapter – its content mainly. Oh well, please tell me what you think!

_~Omni_


	15. Uh for the lack of a better title

The Wedding of the Boy Hero

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. Aurora is her own person although she is fictional. That didn't make sense, but oh well.

A/N: Hehe, this is beginning note – I started on April 27th. Let's see when I finished. *going to be quite ashamed.*

Lessee, I think the story is no long in a Ginny-POV format. If it was that way, I don't think I could right it any further than two chapters ago.

~*~*~

Chapter Fourteen: Uh . . . for the lack of a better title

The evening had continued to be a friendly banter session, but thank goodness the women changed the conversation topic to the actual wedding, not the people involved. That began with Aurora and Ginny explaining how the press got those pictures of Aurora putting a dress over Ginny's clothes at the bridal shop.

"Aren't you supposed to be trying dresses on at the bridal shop?" Ginny asked when Ron questioned why the two "girls" would do something so stupid. Yeah, _sure_, if they hadn't been at the store the press wouldn't have gotten the wrong interpretation of the events.

"Yes, but why were YOU looking at wedding dresses?" Ron retorted. Then he had turned his deadly gaze towards Harry. "You weren't planning anything funny were you?" Ginny immediately jumped to Harry's defense, and literally too. She jumped out of her seat to put some distance between her brother, and her brother's best friend/her old crush/current beau by forces called Aurora and Malfoy.

"It is called having fun while shopping!" Ginny exclaimed while putting protective arms around Harry and using body language to signal Hermione to calm down her husband. "Sheesh. I don't know what your problem is. Aurora and I went to look at dresses for me to wear, only we got sidetracked and decided to just look at all the pretty garments." The narrowed gaze was still shifted to Ginny, went back to Harry, and then it stopped at the Ginny's arms. That caused the redhead to drop her hands in exasperation.

"I really don't know what your problem is. You have known Harry since you were eleven years old. Just because . . . because we are . . . um, _dating_ doesn't mean you have to treat your best friend like some random guy off the streets who take a look at me." Luckily, no one but the conspirators behind this whole charade noticed Ginny had stuttered.

"Ginny dear," Carrie began, "it is call the 'Men's Intuitive Senses.' You know how those American people have this word called 'turf'? Well, to your brothers you are their 'turf'." Everyone in the room looked at Carrie with v-shaped eyebrows.

"Is that what your learned in psychology?" Aurora asked completely aghast for reasons known to everyone but Carrie.

"No, not quite," Aurora's cousin replied in a nonchalant manner. She had received quite a lot of weird looks from her clients – psychiatry patients, as well as looks of surprise from her mentors and coworkers. "That is what I gathered in experience."

"Translation?" Ginny asked in a meek tone. From what the explanation sounded like, Ginny wasn't sure whether she should remain in the dark or know what is going on. Aurora looked at Carrie in a hopeless fashion.

"She means Ron is overly possessive."

Nods of agreement came from everyone, and the arrows turned directions . . . sort of. It was now Ron's turn to take the heat, as people say.

"I guess the tables turned. Even my own brothers and wife are against me." Hermione, feeling sorry for her husband, decided to bring the attention back to various dresses pertaining to the wedding from the banter session.

"Would you happen to have the picture of your wedding dress?" Hermione asked Aurora subtly changing the subject. Aurora looked at her event planner, namely Ginny, who handed the folder containing photos of pictures to her sister-in-law. "Wow, it looks so ethereal!"

This began the passing around of photos in the group of women. Remus and Sirius decided to be gentlemanly and joined the round of examining dresses.

"I have to agree this is a nice design," Remus complimented looking up from the picture of the wedding dress to see who should the receive comment. That was relatively easy since Draco Malfoy can never hold a compliment without being noticeable.

"Now stop it. They need to see what the bridesmaid dresses look it!" Aurora declared. Ginny laughed at the mix of envy, respect, and every emotion in the world on her girl best friend's face. Guess the marriage will eventful. "Why don't we look at the other dresses."

"They are so pretty!" Aurora squealed. "But only if they fixed the coloring and the fabric of the dress." The bridesmaid present reacted to the news in shock.

"What happened?"

"That was the reason why Ginny and I went to the bridal shop anyway. The manufacturers just forgot that I didn't want a certain shade of green. Honestly, my wedding is in the summer. I don't think the heavy forest green will be a good color." All the females nodded in agreement.

"Urg," Hermione moaned. "Did you say summer? This cannot be good." Aurora looked at her expectantly. Ginny's eyes widened in realization as well, Hermione wouldn't look quite so slim as she would be in her third trimester.  "Did Harry tell you any thing along the lines of me being a mother?" The dark haired girl shook her head slowly.

"No, but are you? That is wonderful news! There is going to be another baby around. Yay!" Everyone besides Sirius looked at Aurora with a strange look. "So when is your baby due?"

"In early September . . ." Hermione replied trailing off.

"So? What is the problem?" Sirius asked. That had earned him a smack from Harry and Remus. "WHAT?! And Harry, I need to teach about respecting your elders."

"I don't want to look like a balloon at the ceremony. It would be so embarrassing." Hermione explained to Sirius as if he was a small child.

"Don't worry," Mike comforted. "For all we know, Aurora might be a balloon as well." The comment had caused everyone in the room to laugh, and it was the first time ever did people see how red Draco Malfoy could get. The color contrast to his fair complexion was noted by all, and therefore made fun of.

"What is today, 'Make fun of Malfoy Day?'" he asked when the joke finally came to a halt, or at least the laughter did.

"YES!" Harry replied enthusiastically. "It is pay back time. Now let us analyze the situation. Draco and Aurora were in the Caribbean together. I believe I remembered Aurora complaining about how the resort had given them the honeymoon suite. Hmmm, that insinuates quite a lot!" Aurora had turned even redder than her fiancé.

"Okay people. That's it. I am leaving. I refuse to take this abuse." She went to grab her coat and walked towards the door. The action was ended by her fiancé summoning her with of course, the handy dandy: summoning charm! Ginny was enjoying the show of two most unembarrassed-able (A/N: Is that a word? Well, it is now.) person in the world beating even the sun at being bright and red. Their cheeks probably could provide enough heat to make scrambled eggs as well.

"Oh geez, I don't want to know!" Mike tease blocking his view of his cousin flying into her fiancé. "I really don't want to know." This earned another bought of laughter and various couch decorations flying at Mike's head.

"I cannot believe this," Aurora declared thoroughly embarrassed. "Alrighty. We have gotten quite off the topic we were here to convene, so I take it everything is cleared, all I need to worry about it the press conference. Now everyone out!" Aurora made shooing motions with her hand forcing Mike in particular to leave.

"What happened to your good manners?" Mike complained thoroughly indignant. His albeit older but shorter cousin was trying to shove him through the door, he would have been laughing if he could find shelter elsewhere. "Hey, I am lodging here too! While you may have a house here, and quite a few in connection to Draco, but I need a place to spend the night!" Ginny noticed the change of expression on her friends face, and a plan formed.

"Right. Mike will stay here while I take Aurora with me. Although I believe in Aurora's virtues, I really don't want her looking anything like a balloon for her wedding."

~*~*~

            The arrangement had been solved. It was quite obvious that Aurora was miffed at how her own best friends decided to tease her on the matter. Ginny had decided it was safer for her to invite Carrie as well. As sweet as Aurora may be sometimes, grudges are held much longer than most people. If Ginny didn't want to find unpleasant objects in her bed when she woke up, or find something odd in her bathroom, it was better to have someone else around. The reasoning was logical in that since there was only one more day until the press conference and the engagement party thing after that, the girls could have a nice day together getting dresses and such.

            "I cannot believe you did that!" Aurora whined, which surprised Ginny. Should the auror be waving a wand in her face by now?

            "What, did something like that happen?" Carrie asked. Ginny suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to bring Carrie. Maybe she could pretend there was an emergency and she had to leave. Or maybe she could call Lavender and Parvati seeing as Hermione can't just leave Ron.

            "No!" Aurora looked up switching from being red, to pale, to red, to pale . . . Carrie was about to say something again, but Ginny thought maybe she should explain her plan for the coming day.

            "Why don't we all go to sleep? I thought we might go on a shopping trip with Lavender and Parvati tomorrow. The press conference and the party afterwards are black – tie events." Carrie and Aurora nodded.

            "So where are we sleeping?"

            "Here."

            "Here here?"

            "Yes." Three sleeping rolls appeared out of the air arrange in a circle.

            "This reminds me of those sleepover we had when we were little," Carrie said, finally not so tactless and odd.

            "Oh yes, the ones where we play truth or dare, talk about crushes, and plan weddings!" Aurora giggled. Ginny only smiled and motioned for everyone fix their makeshift beds and get ready to chat until everyone falls asleep.

~*~*~

            "So are you really dating Harry?" Carrie asked reverting back to her blunt self when Aurora went to the restroom. _Oh bother, she noticed._ "You seemed quite nervous when you were defending your relationship in front of your brother."

            "No." That was the only reply. To Ginny's prayers, Aurora came out and it was Ginny's turn to get ready for bed.

~*~*~

            "Why?" Carrie asked Aurora as soon as she was sure Ginny's couldn't hear.

            "Why what?" the look Carrie sent mean business. "I need help. Those two have liked each other since the beginning of time."

            "Oh?"

            "Fine, I need expert advice and help from someone who got top marks in human psychology and is a renown psychiatrist. How do I set them up?" Carrie smiled in a way that resembled Aurora when she would be questioning her prisoners.

            "I have to analyze the situation first. Since I get to spend a day with her tomorrow; that should be enough combined with what you probably know. But you do realize it will be tough since the Weasleys seem quite protective of their family, about as bad as ours." Aurora nodded.

            "I know exactly what you mean. But the first big event that I can think of to force them together is my engagement party after the press conference. I'll be announcing the best man and the maid of honor. I think a dance is planned for them already  -- it's tradition."

            "Oh good. But we still need help. I don't know Lavender and Parvative, but would they . . ." Carrie didn't get to finished since Ginny came out in her pajamas.

            "They?" she asked.

            "I was just wanting to know more about Lavender and Parvati," Carried half lied. The little girl talk was basically about Lavender and Parvati and their personalities. That had lasted quite long since the question had spark an long stroll down memory lane, which was good, remembering things help people calm down, for the current problems, and is a great sleep inducer. It was long before all the girls fell asleep.

~*~*~

            The thoughts plaguing each mind was different. Ginny was quite suspicious of the conversation Carrie and Aurora held when she was changing, but since she couldn't think of anything that they could do that's really devastating, she quickly went into the land of the dreams. Now Carrie on the other hand, was planning some _devastating_ things that she could do to Ginny to get the two clueless lovebirds together. The thoughts ringing in Aurora's head shouldn't be publicized for she had nothing that was comprehensible. It ranged from one of her missions to a cat, and the forbidden one: Harry with some leggy secretary.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

Just a little tidbit to add from last chapter. Seeing as if I don't add anything now, the next available update time is after school is over. Uh yeah, that's about it. There wasn't as much of a H/G pairing, but it is getting there. Major H/G coming in press conference time.


	16. I am Innnocent, I Swear warning: title d...

The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own the books. NOT like I actually wrote the books. Like I went to the store and bought them so I could read them. That type of owning a book, understand what I mean? Good, I am not as mentally distressed as what those doctors say! ^^

Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay and my endless warnings of tardiness. I had sounded like a leetle coward trying to buy time – ew! But that's what I sounded like, at least to me. Anyhow, here is a nice long chapter, approximately 15 Microsoft Word pages long. Cheers to reading!

(mini survey: Who actually reads these author's notes anyway?)

~*~*~

Chapter Fifteen: I am Innocent, I Swear! 

            While the ladies were resting in Ginny's humble abode, the men were having quite an interesting time. Had someone walked into the seemingly vacant townhouse – yes "seemingly vacant", no one is dead . . . yet – they would have been shocked. Three men were doing house cleaning. No wait, three men with masculine built bodies were washing teacups, vacuuming with a wand, and putting cleaned dishes away, with the blonde man wearing an apron with pink frills and pastel roses.

Mike was having a _wonderful_ time vacuuming with his wand. He had forgotten the enlargement spell to increase the efficiency of vacuuming, so he had do clean the entire living room inch by inch. Oh! To add to his _painfully_ fun enjoyment, the carpet that was in the room changes color when a sector of it is vacuumed. The original color had been a crisp, clean white, but the new color was beige. The color contrast between eye blinding white and a creamy beige was make the owner of the house quite anal. Or rather, making the owner anal about pleasing his mother and fiancée, who were anal about home decorating.

Draco Malfoy had been quite a sight fretting about the color change of his carpet.

"You are supposed to ask me when you are going to do something! Like clothes that have special instructions for cleaning, so does this carpet." The sight was even funnier since Draco was wearing the infamous apron made by his littlest cousin. "Why couldn't Aurora get a normal looking apron?" The two other men were wise enough to remain silent during the whole tirade. Mike kept his complaints to himself allowing Draco Malfoy the private joy of tearing his own sanity apart and throwing it in the trash.

"Does anyone know the dishwashing charm?" the spoilt Mr. Malfoy inquired after he was done obsessing about the clichéd quality of having a beige carpet. Harry shook his head humbly and Mike merely shrugged.

"Don't know. I can never remember housecleaning spells," Mike replied. "Say, would you have a book like that somewhere in this house?"

The comment ended with Draco Malfoy walking to the kitchen with a huff and dragging an unusually silent Harry behind him. The sink was filled with water and Draco Malfoy added a generous amount of detergent while stirring the solution with his hands. Not a very good idea since most people experienced in the kitchen would know how bubbly dishwashing detergent gets. Shall we say bubble bath?

The bubbles had gotten so abundant that the entire counter was covered in bubbles. To Draco's annoyance, his coworker had not done anything to help. Harry was in a silent stupor adding dirty teacups and such to the sink making the bubbles flow out even more. Just as Draco was about to complain, Harry got out his wand and cleared the counter of bubbles.

"Potter, why don't I just take care of the washing while you dry the dishes?" Draco had suggested. Harry nodded and opened his mouth the say something. Draco Malfoy waited for the reply only to see Harry quickly closing his mouth. The Slytherin shrugged and tried to finish the foreign task.

After a half an hour, Harry was still silent, Draco was soaking wet and covered in bubbles, and Mike was cross-eyed temporarily, well, let's say a night of sleep will be good for him. The three men cluttered to the large living room with the beige carpet and all sat on the three separate couches.

"Whew!" Harry said finally snapping out of him silent streak. The two other men nodded.

"Remind me to hire a house elf if I were to buy a house this big," Mike added rubbing his eyes. They were still somewhat crossed.

"Definitely, but I think Aurora is a stickler for doing things manually around the house when she is having guests over," Draco added dejectedly. His companions groaned in sympathy. 

"I am so sorry you will be marrying her," Mike with his crossed eyes said, causing Draco Mafloy to snap up his head asking a silent why. "She is overbearing and sweet at the same time, a walking juxtaposition. One minute she is cooing at you, the next minutes, you head is being clawed at. Oh well, you are marrying her, she makes you happy, that's the end of the story. Goodnight!" With that Mike changed his position so he could sleep on the couch he was occupying.

Draco Malfoy was left to look at Harry Potter with a completely frazzled expression. However, the green-eyes were focused on the coffee table, yet when Draco looked more carefully, Harry's eyes were actually unfocused.

"Harry? Potter?" the only 100% conscious man questioned. Harry made no signs of stirring from his own world. As Draco Malfoy shook his own head, the voice of the other auror broke the silence.

"Did she really mean it, or was it just a plot to made the engagement less of a problem?" Harry asked suddenly. Draco Malfoy looked at Harry and joined the Misery Club.

"Women are confusing. I an actually having second thoughts."

"I agree. Does Ginny actually like me? I mean, she didn't really react – wait, WHAT?! What second thoughts?" Harry exclaimed suddenly. If it were second thoughts about marrying Aurora that would set off World War III, IV if Voldemort's insanity counts. First of all, the workplace would get quite uncomfortable no matter how well the two could "move on". Harry would be caught as the middle person, and quite frankly, hero-training packets didn't include a section on dealing with two coworkers that were romantically involved. But then again, you'd think the packet would have how to woo the damsel in distress, but Harry never learned how to do that either. That's why he is stuck flirting with Ginny as his usual personality and being told to act as though he is dating Ginny to assure no more scandals for the Malfoy wedding.

"Isn't that obvious Potter?" Draco replied reverting back to his dry, sarcastic tone of Hogwarts years. "The only thing I can have second thoughts about that I haven't not had any on is my upcoming marriage. I have already questioned my choice of being an auror. That had been solved thank you very much. I do NOT want a reply of that unfortunate day."

"Oh right, that was the day even the Malfoy pride didn't even save you. But wasn't that also the same day you kissed Aurora for the first time?" Harry asked with a wicked twinkle in his eye, all his previous worries some forgotten, and some merely placed somewhere in later in his list of worries. "What did she do afterwards? I think I need a reminder." Draco Malfoy glared at his partner with extreme loathing; after all, a Malfoy does not like his mistakes pointed out.

"I don't think you need a reminder Mr. Potter," Draco replied sternly. 

"No, I think you do need a reminder. After you had kissed her, Aurora had glared at you, and then stomped off. It took you two three months to reconcile . . ."Harry trailed off as he noticed the nostalgic light in Draco's usually cold eyes.

"Yes, that was the first time I had ever groveled at anyone's feet, and the tenth time a Malfoy had to do that win his bride. I think that had cost me quite a lot too. Not just my old pride, also quite a lot of galleons to pull off the elaborate birthday celebration for her. And do you remember what she had said?" Draco paused to look at Harry. Although the latter had nodded, Draco Malfoy continued his stroll through his memories.

"She had said she had forgiven me the moment I began groveling, which happened to be three weeks after that unfortunate event. She only waited that long to see what I would do for her birthday. And considering she is not a material girl, I got scolded for spending money on needless item! "

At that moment, Mike took a camera – out of nowhere – and took at picture of the sappy face that was on his future cousin-in-law's face. The apparatus was similar to a muggle Polaroid and it instantly produced the low-quality picture.

"What was that about?" the blonde man exclaimed completely undignified. "You were supposed to be asleep!"

"I was, but I only did that long enough to make my eyes uncross," Mike explained, and proceeded to show Draco the picture. "This, would be a picture of your lovesick face when you talk about Aurora."

 "And that is why she is the perfect woman for you," Harry added. "You will never find another person that match you so well. She is the only person besides your mother that could keep you in line, and believe or not, you even try to make her happy – don't even argue. Nope, close your mouth and listen. Thank you. You do everything possible to make her happy. Even asking for permission to kiss her. You do realize that gets old don't you? If you are so cowardly when it come to pleasing Aurora, you'll never get any offsprings!" Harry teased. That had caused fifty pillows to be launched at the boy who lived.

"Hey! No fair, you have your wand!"

"Well, so do you!"

"Guys! Shhh! Unlike the manor, there are civilization that is close enough to hear us!"

"Oh, right."

"But it is true that you might not get any offspring if you are that courteous of things," Mike amended Harry. "I have known Aurora longer than anyone of you, and I have the right to say she is as prude as a person can get without not wanting it."

"What?! You expect me to just throw her down?" Draco exclaimed quite outraged at what his confidantes are suggesting.

"Well, yes," Both men replied with Cheshire grins. Once again, the privileged Young Mr. Malfoy turned magenta at the expense of his pride and possibly even his honor.

"That's it. I am not talking about what I do with my wife after we have finalized our marriage. Besides, Aurora isn't that prudish, she did allow me to kiss her earlier this afternoon without me asking. You are just exaggerating!"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Draco! We were just teasing," Harry replied. "But you have to admit Aurora rarely ever lets you get close with her. After that incident when some idiot bodyguard of an even dumber criminal flirted with our dear Aurora, she did knee him quite hard . . . "

"We wouldn't want that to happen to you, do we?" Mike inserted teasing Draco even more.

"That is quite enough of this topic. I'll deal with the problem when the time comes – IF that is even a problem," the irritated and embarrassed blonde finalized. "How about that question Mr. Potter was pondering? I do believe I can answer that." Harry narrowed his emerald eyes at the others. Now it was his time to be have his mental health tortured merciless at the hands of Aurora's henchmen. _Goodness, all her _sidekicks_ are all so unforgiving in their verbal sparring!_

"Yes, a certain beautiful, temperamental redhead – of course that quality is true for most redheads, but that's what makes them intriguing, isn't it?" Mike said adding to Draco's ammunition to make Harry loose all his sleep for the night. Those descriptions of Ginny, Ron's little sister – the best friend's little sister, does not help the already battered brain of Harry Potter. There had been numerous moments when Harry had wondered why didn't he realize the girl earlier, and those nights were accompanied by lack of sleep and watching sappy '50s muggle romance movies with a tub of muggle Godiva ice cream.

"No teasing, no more. I think I have done enough of bludgeoning to myself already."

"All right Harry, but that doesn't mean we forgive you for not noticing Ginny earlier," Mike stated maintaining his position. Harry nodded showing an aura of depression.

"Hey Malfoy!" Harry exclaimed poking his coworker, "I need a little help. Seeing as you are the resident Mr. Irresistible, you'll be my therapist!" Draco had a pained look.

"Okay then . . . what do you need help with?" he asked uncertain of what to expect from the seemingly innocent but scheming green-eyed (not jealousy, by the way) monster sitting across from him.

"Does she like me?"

"Well, first of all, we need to know who this 'she' is. Is the lucky lady, or unlucky as the case may be, the leggy blonde secretary, or the temperamental girl next door by the name of Ginny," Draco began in an analytical tone. "You see, depending on the woman, there are different approaches a man should take to shall we say, woo the girl."

"Gack! You sound like a crafty matchmaker!" Mike declared. "Now I wonder if it would be good to let Aurora marry you!" Harry shot the other man a dirty look. They had just temporarily cured Draco Malfoy of the doubts about marriage, and the dork decides to bring that subject up again.  
  


"Actully Mikey," Harry began, "you have never seen how crafty Aurora may be. All those men she led astray to finish a mission would testify that she is now goddess of dawn, more like the goddess of darkness. But to sound like a spoiled brat, I believe I am the one seeing the therapist!"

"Right," Draco replied slowly. This was going to be quite a long night. How is a man supposed to deal with his coworker spilling his secrets out? It was one thing to just tease Harry about it, but to have the boy hero actually announce his feelings in a tactless manner was quite disconcerting, especially when one is afraid of what one's fiancée is planning for the supposed idiotic, not-so official couple.

"Well, I am just going to assume that the 'she' is Miss Weasley." Harry nodded to support the presupposition. "It has been quite obvious to me since Ginny first year that she liked you quite a lot. The weird rhyme that was given to you by those sickening cupid-replicas was actually sent by yours truly, as a joke," the Malfoy added when Mike chose to take his defensive cousin-in-law mode.

"I didn't actually write the poem though, it was a sarcastic remark made by Ginny to her friends when they encouraged her to send you a Valentine gift. Anyhow, she has admired you since first year, as far as I know, she might have marveled at you since the first time she heard of the heroic tales of baby Potter. It may seem like her feelings for you might have disappeared, perhaps that was a direct result of her maturity."

"Yes, and what am I supposed to do?" Harry asked unnerved by the detailed analysis of Dr. Draco and the pessimistic tone he used to deliver the speech.

"You expect me to know when it took me that long to get Aurora's attention?!" the pseudo-therapist exclaimed. "I can only give you the analysis. The methods I have taken obviously do not apply to you since Aurora's regards of me are completely different from how Ginny see you. Besides, you had said she didn't respond to your kiss. That's different from my case in that I was lucky I didn't get slapped." Draco paused to brace himself for a lecture about Aurora by her cousin, and miraculously, remarks of any kind didn't fly at him. The pseudo-patient and pseudo-doctor looked at Mike and the younger man was dozing off on his couch.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.

"It's late. Two thirty in the morning," the other replied. "We should get to sleep as well. I get the queasy feeling that the women have something planned for later this morning. Help me get Mike to his bedroom."

Ten minutes later, all lights were off, and the house was truly vacant.

~*~*~

            The morning came with the sun's rays fighting its way through the half open curtains at Ginny's apartment. The ladies sleeping on the living room floor each had their own ray of sunshine illuminating their face. The extra light created by cars driving down the road added to the seemingly choreographed dance of bright beams. The sound of _Peer Gynt_ from Ginny's alarm clock woke all three occupants from their rest.

            "Aack! The sun, go away!" Carrie complained as one of the dancing rays flashed across her face.

            "What time is it?" Ginny murmured with her voice still tinted with sleepiness.

            "It's seven fifteen!" a disgustingly perky voice called from the bathroom. The other two women looked at each other with sympathizing looks of disdain for Aurora.

            "I have always hated how she could be so awake in the morning," Carried moaned trying to hide from the various lights in the room.

            "What you go through cannot be worse then my experience. When both of us were training to be mediwitches, we shared a room." A grunt from Carrie's covers replied in deference to Ginny's misery story. Another sound of ruffling covers signaled that Ginny had tried to get back to sleep as well.

            "Come on everyone, get ready since I am making breakfast!" Aurora declared in the doorway of the bathroom. The only response was people trying to hide deeper into their sleeping bags. Shaking her head, the auror walked to the kitchen, and metallic bangs of pots and pans made those still in bed shiver at the unwelcome noise.

            "I guess she is actually making breakfast," Carried said thoughtfully. Her head was out of the covers and the growling of her stomach already made the decision for her to wake up. "At least the food is worth it!" Ginny nodded in agreement and followed the other to the bathroom.

            "I wonder what the men are doing," Carrie asked on her way to the kitchen.

            "Probably still sleeping," Ginny replied now fully awake. "Mmm, I haven't had Aurora's cooking since she became a full time auror."

            "It's not fair. Just because her parents can cook, it doesn't mean she just has to be a good cook as well. I think the only person the culinary gene didn't skip in my generation is Aurora. It's sickening how seems to have no faults!"

            "I know. She can cook; she is marrying Draco Malfoy so money won't be a problem, not that it ever will be a problem with her job. Oh right! She is also a renowned auror working with the boy who lived and his archrival. Do we have anymore tallies to add to Aurora's perfection?" Ginny asked.

            "Hey! Keep on doing that and you don't get any food for breakfast," Aurora's reply came from the kitchen.

            "I believe this is my house," Ginny retorted. This had led to Aurora coming out of the kitchen with a spatula in one hand and an oven mitten in the other. 

            "It is, but I am your best friend. You granted me access your home the first day of your ownership. Besides, the food is mine anyway. Although you bought the groceries, I am changing them into food . . . did that even make sense?" Carrie and Ginny shook their head simultaneously.

            "It's too early in the morning for logic," the two sleepyheads complained.

            "As is it's too early so you two are bashing poor, poor Aurora?" the cook asked in a motherly tone.

            "Actually, no. We single women just needed to have sometime for self-pity." Aurora merely shook her head and walked back to the kitchen. A few moments later, three plates of bacon, eggs, pancakes, and a large waffle floated out the door followed by Aurora.

            "Now eat." The plate flew to the counter and placed themselves between the forks and knives that just happened to be at the right place. "I was planning on getting the bridesmaids' dresses as well as getting a dress for Ginny. So should I get Parvati, Hermione, and Lavender?"

            "Sure," Ginny replied stabbing her fork into the pancake. "Hey! This is blueberry. I never bought any blueberries!" The clang of a fork hitting the plate caused Aurora to look up.

            "Auri, you didn't do that illusion spell did you?" Carried asked wary of the blue specks in her otherwise delicious pancake. The cook shook her head and continued eating.

            "What?! I went out and bought some blueberries."

            "In five minutes?" both Ginny and Carrie asked skeptical. If the berries were a result of the illusion spell, the two would go to the bathroom immediately. Perhaps they shouldn't have lied and told Aurora that they had liked at new recipe when the illusion spell was first introduced to food.

            "That's what apparating is for!" Aurora replied rolling her eyes. "Besides, I knew you didn't like those illusion recipes anyway. Though I must say I am miffed when you lied to me. Some poor person I was trying to get information out of had a taste of the _artificial_ strawberry shortcake and ran away from me before I got any answers."

            "So they are 100% natural? No magic involved to make them blueberries?" the auror shook her head and breakfast proceeded without further interruptions, except perhaps Mimi attacking Ginny's waffles.

            "Mimi, will you go send these note to Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender? I promise to give you owl munchies when you get back," Ginny coerced her personal messenger. "I'll beg Aurora to get you more of those crunchy things that you love?" the owl paused for its assault on the waffle and look at her owner. "How about anything you want? Within reason?" Mimi blinked and gave a soft hoot of consideration. How could her owner be willing go that length to get her to not eat the waffles? If the owl's taste buds were correct, the waffle must be Aurora's cooking. The magic used to cook foods tends to stain the natural taste but only a select few – mainly animals – can tell the difference.

             Ginny had scribbled three short notes to her friends requesting their presence, and in the mean time, Mimi had gotten a few more bits out of the waffle. The other two women looked at Ginny's plate watchful of how Ginny would react to her half-eaten waffle. Considering the fact that the fork is no longer usable on the battercake, why not let the owl finish it off?

            The rest of breakfast was considerable less odd. Mimi had returned with record speed probably wanting to eat the rest of the waffle since Ginny would never continue to eat it. True to everyone's prediction, the owl did attack Ginny's breakfast plate to finish off what was left – the owl-pecked waffle. Shortly after, Ginny's doorbell rang and three Hogwarts graduates waited outside.

            "Hi Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender!" Ginny exclaimed opening her door. "This is Carrie for those of you who don't know. And of course, here is poor Aurora, the future Mrs. Malfoy." Three different responses were heard: pity, mock-jealousy, and awe.

            "Hey!" Aurora shouted giving all three a large group hug while managing to get soap bubbles in everyone's hair. "Sorry about that. I never liked to wash dishes. The soap bubbles have hated me since the beginning of time."

            "So when are we going on our shopping trip?" Lavender asked her smile mirrored by Parvati and Carrie. With a few quick swishes of her wand, Aurora cleaned up her mess and got her appearance to the A. Classen standards.

            "We leave now, but we need to go wake up the men. They need to get their measurements as well."

            "Speaking of measurements, how are we going to get mine?" Hermione asked. "My size is about to change throughout the wait for the wedding."

            "I don't know. Maybe keep a tailor with us constantly? We can get the necessary changes done before hand." That had seemed to satisfy Hermione. After all, it is Draco Malfoy's money that is being spent; he needs help to feel more on the average citizen side. "Ready, let's get in the car and get the bag carriers!"

~*~*~

            The morning was just as unwelcome to the men as it was for Ginny and Carrie. Most people would think Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would at least be more excited about the morning than Mike would, but somehow that wasn't the case. Aurora's cousin was the first one up and made a somewhat inedible breakfast for the two resting aurors. Happy mornings might have been a family trait, but obviously Carrie was right about the skipping culinary gene.

            "What is this?" Harry asked upon smelling the disturbing scent from the kitchen.

            "I don't know, but I think we should just forget breakfast and apparate somewhere to get brunch," Draco replied sharing the dubious feeling of Mike's cooking. Several clangs were heard from the kitchen, but the sound was not the welcoming clash of metals when Aurora cooked.

            "Ouch, hot, help!" the cry echoed in the large kitchen. Harry and Draco looked at each other for support.

            "Guess we cleaned the kitchen up for nothing." Both Hogwarts graduates rushed to the kitchen to help. As though unspoken prayers were answered, the doorbell rang.

            "Please let it be Aurora. I want her food!" Harry cried. "Hey, would you mind if I just randomly show up at your house after you get married? I don't think anyway can make scrambled eggs as good as Aurora."

            "I don't see why everyone marvels at her culinary skills. She can cook several good dishes, and she has a knack for following instructions therefore allowing her to make wonderful dishes. She isn't the goddess of food you know," Draco complained. He had too many accidents trying out Aurora's cooking experiments.

            "Hello? Are you awake yet?" a female voice asked.

            "Well, you better be now!" said a voice the men had decided was Ginny. Of course, the crude, practical question that came after belonged to one of the Classens.

            "Are you decent?'

            "Whatever, I'm going in. After working with them for so long, I know they don't sleep naked." Since the second was obviously Aurora, Carrie must have been the first blunt person.

            "You know, I have always thought Carrie as the nice, quiet girl in the family," Draco said thoughtfully, which caused Mike to snort.

            "Perhaps the night with Aurora and Ginny made her part of the insane group?" Harry asked in a strangely shaky voice. Realizing the odd quality of his tone, Harry had also noticed the evil glint in Draco and Mike's eyes. _Uh-oh, looks like I have to deal with more of last nights bashing._

            "You all slept on the couch?!" Aurora asked ending the silent battle between the men much to Harry's favor. "There are beds you know."

            "We didn't sleep on the couch, we rested on the couch for a bit before going to bed."

            "I'll assume you have had a comfortable rest since we are going to get everything tailored today. We also need to pick out garments for those who haven't decided. That means mandatory attendance from all of you," Aurora declared.

            "Even me?" Mike asked timidly. "What about Carrie?" the older woman looked dubiously at her cousin.

            "Sorry Mikey, I got out of the wedding crew. Grandma had asked me to be a bridesmaid for Cousin Franks wedding. This time you are going down," Carried replied in a superior manner.

            "Yes you. You are the back-up groomsmen." The clueless look on his face made Draco and Harry cower. "I take it Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy had forgotten to inform you of this. Oh right, before I forget something, Harry, do you know that you'll be dancing with Ginny?"

            "To keep up the charade? Yes."

            "No, to actually date her you dolt," Draco replied sarcastically. "You never even asked her."

            "Asked who?" Ginny asked when the other women found the action in the kitchen.

            "No one," Harry replied all too quickly.

            "Can we leave? I haven't even had breakfast," Mike complained. Two more murmurs of agreement sounded as the group made their way to the fireplace.

            "Is floo powder safe for you to use?" Ginny asked Hermione.

            "It should. If not, I'll sue Dr. Blonfontain. He had said I should conduct business normally. If something happened, blame it all on him."

            "Yes, with the rest of the Weasley crew chasing him to his grave . . ." Draco remarked with Harry turning pale.

~*~*~

            "Oh, let's go to the Leaky Cauldron for brunch!" Mike exclaimed enthusiastically. The entourage had arrived at Diagon Alley and the wafting scent of smoked bacon that could be smelled miles away made three stomachs grumble.

            "Draco didn't cook for you?" Aurora asked. "He makes the best breakfast skillet in the world." Two deadly glares were aimed at the privileged man.

            "You cook? Why didn't you tell us you could make random ingredients edible?" Both Harry and Mike demanded. Waiting for two hours for a meal was definitely not on top of the two's list of favorites.

            "Why don't you three go get food while we go to the bridal shop?" Ginny suggested hoping to end the idiot spar that might begin any moment.

            "If I told you, would it have been believable?" the platinum blonde retort. Mike spluttered indignantly and Ginny was getting quite indignant as well. 

            "Did you even hear me? You go get brunch and we'll meet you back here in two hours. Got it?" Harry nodded rapidly hoping to avoid conflict coming from the female side as well. "Very good Harry, just get them in the Leaky Cauldron."

            "Bye!" the women called out as they turned up the street toward the bridal shop.

            Looking though dresses was an interesting event. It seemed all the salespeople had heard about the grand Malfoy wedding and wished to be apart of the activities. Commission for Malfoy weddings tended to be high as the clothing purchased had a large price.

            "Good morning!" chimed five sales assistants. "How may I help you?" Hermione and Ginny looked at Aurora doubting the whole circumstance while Lavender, Parvati, and Carrie had already started the question session with the clerks.

            "Guess we join the band wagon?" Hermione deducted still uncertain. No more persuasion was needed as the other two sales clerks attacked the less enthusiastic group.

            "Uh . . . why don't you take Ginny see some dresses suitable for the maid of honor. She also has the pictures of the other dresses so if you have any questions ask her too," Aurora directed. "She is my wedding planner as well."

            "Oh! You must be the famous events planner. Welcome to our shop Miss Weasley. oh I just love they way you had coordinated those events . . ." the saleslady had gushed making Ginny wince. A no-so apologetic smile was sent to the young Weasley by both Aurora and Hermione, they had gotten the older clerk.

            "Good morning Miss – "

            "Classen. This is Hermione Granger – excuse me, Weasley," Aurora introduced.

            "Oh yes! I have heard of you both. I must say I am privileged to serve two wonderfully sophisticated and prominent women in our society. Welcome." When the older woman had turned, Hermione and Ginny had noticed Ginny sticking her tongue at them. It seems everyone had quite an overly vigorous about serving the group.

            "We have a small dilemma," Aurora began.

            "Due to inopportune timing, I'll be in my third trimester of pregnancy during Aurora's wedding. The bridesmaid dress will need to be changed," Hermione explained.

            "Oh! Congratulations! I am sure your babe will be beautiful and smart, and – "

            "Thank you. Could you give us some information on tailors who could change the sizes?" Hermione interrupted kindly. The salesperson nodded and hurried off to the back room of the store.

            "That should take her awhile," Aurora wished out loud.

            "This store is supposed to be one of the more prominent stores?" Hermione asked glancing around the store in distaste. "The prices certainly match expectations, as does the quality of the dresses, but geez! The salesclerks will scare away half of the customers!"

            "True, but the rich and famous are treated well here, as you have seen. I suppose most of the upper class need their egos enlarged."

            "Is there a reason why those three suddenly got quiet?" Hermione questioned. She had known Lavender and Parvati for years and they do not ever become silent during a shopping trip. Since Carrie seemed to have fit in with the fashion twins, sound should be heard.

            "Oh, that reminds me. I needed to ask for your advice on something," Aurora said with a secretive smile. "It is about Harry and Ginny." The same smile was mirrored on the ex-Gryffindor as well.

            "I see, so that's why those three are quiet? I must say Lavender and Parvati are not great matchmakers."

            "That's why we needed lots of help, along with the inane stubbornness of the two in question." Hermione nodded as well.

            "How am I supposed to help? Not that I don't support you or anything, but their relationship is skewed. Ginny had directed the _energy_ of her crush on Harry to flirting with him as friends. That had sent the mixed message to Harry confusing the poor guy. Harry doesn't really know whether she truly likes him or if Ginny's past awkwardness was a childish infatuation with a celebrity that dissipates with time."

            "I can see how he can be confused. It's funny how Ginny thinks Harry is only flirting with her as friends. She also suspects the flirting serves as a shield against men's attention directed at her by the orders of Ron," Aurora informed Hermione.

            "I suppose that is the only reason Ron hasn't blown up at their antics."

            "Would Ron be furious if Harry were to date Ginny?" Aurora asked.

            "I don't suppose so," Hermione replied. "Ron would prefer to let Harry have Ginny than any other male no matter how he reacted last night." The news had lit a smile on Aurora's face.

            "Well, obstacle number one is solved. Now we just need to get those two to admit their feelings, or at least date each other. Oh I feel another wedding coming up!" Both Hermione and Aurora had giggled like schoolgirls at the conclusion. It wasn't entirely unreasonable. Both people in question had liked and cared for each other enough to call the affection love. So why not date and see if marriage will work?

            The joy and privacy of the two ladies was interrupted by the reappearance of the saleswoman. Good things can't last forever, especially when it comes to privacy.

            "Hello Mrs. Weasley and Miss. Classen – soon to be Mrs. Malfoy!" the woman exclaimed in an extremely eager voice. "I did find some tailors who would be willing to alter the dress, but we have a lovely selection for pregnant ladies. The dress can be custom made to match the style of the other bridesmaid dresses. The only difference will be the fabric and the magic stitches used; the size change will be automatically adjusted."

            "Hm, good plan," answered Hermione blatantly expressing her feelings about the store – she wanted to get out . . . at least before her hormones cut her temper shorter and blow up at the sycophantic woman trying to get hoards of money of the society's prominent.

            "That's great. You have the design for the dresses, right?" the clerk nodded. "Thank you for your service," Aurora finished stiffly yet politely. Seems neither woman wanted to remain the store any longer. However actually get out of the store would be more of an obstacle in that Carrie and the fashion twins are now buddy-buddy with their sales clerk.

            "Lavender, Parvati, Carrie, did you get the dresses that you need-slash-want?" Hermione asked. The three shop-aholics terminated their giggling and nodded. "How about you Ginny?"

            "Miss Weasley is not quite done ma'am," the Ginny's fashion consultant replied instead. "She cannot decide which dress she wants." That has set off the three giggling sister. Carrie, Lavender, and Parvati dashed to Ginny's _rescue_ along with their giggly clerk.

            "Ooh! How about this one?" all three, four if the clerk should be included, cooed at the cream dress with a sheer outer layer that was emerald green with little green gems scattered around. "It will look so nice on you!" The sales clerk was nodding her head rigorously.

            "Isn't it a bit too elaborate?" Ginny asked skeptically. "Everyone else's dress is elegant in the they style of simplicity. This dress would stand out too much." The audience merely shrugged at her comment. She was the events planner anyway. It was Ginny's responsibility to make sure everything goes smoothly and coordinated. Then turning to the clerk, the younger Weasley asked, "Can you suggest other dresses that are simple like the rest?"

            Searching for a suitable dress that matched Ginny's guidelines was impossible. Sometime around the eighth dress, the rest of the girl group had decided to buy the green dress anyway, and make Ginny wear it for the parties after the wedding. For one, green is a favorable color to Harry and that shade of green compliments the red hair in a way that doesn't make Ginny look like the Christmas in July fairy.

~*~*~

            The search for Ginny's maid of honor dress was hopeless. There was not one dress Ginny had liked or the clerk was willing to support. The annoyance of failure had annoyed the entire shopping crew and the time to get the men was welcomed by a mad dash out of the store.

            "Thank goodness!" Hermione exclaimed happily whilst dancing across the street. "I was about to strangle every single one of them!" The other women followed her module and happily pranced down the street.

            "I wonder what's going on with the men," Parvati asked thoughtfully. This had caused Carrie to raise her professional psychologist's analytical eyebrow, which in turned, cause Aurora to stop her skip and ponder as well. The question just led a chain reaction that ended with Hermione stopping and eyeing the rest suspiciously.

            "Well?" the one month pregnant woman asked impatiently. The other ladies just shook their heads and continued toward the Leaky Cauldron with Hermione leading.

            "Isn't moodiness supposed to come in a few more months?" Aurora asked Ginny in a small whisper, but casual enough to not cause any suspicions from Hermione.

            "Not really. I think Fleur was quite erratic since she found out she was pregnant. Bill was certain that it was only due to her veela blood. But then in Penny's case, she was even tempered throughout most of her pregnancy," Ginny observed. "We all know Hermione is strange. Ron had warned us of that. I think he took a few second before the Christmas dinner to tell us to not push any of Hermione's buttons or she'll blow up on us." Aurora nodded. It was definitely a good thing she proposed the matchmaking plan before Hermione got too annoyed.

            The walk to Leaky Cauldron was breezy. No one stopped to look at the shop windows in case Hermione got to be quite edgy again. However, the awareness was heightened to new levels when Mike ran out side giggling at abnormally high pitches. Mike's appearance was followed by Draco Malfoy helping Harry Potter steady himself.

            "What happened?" Hermione asked taking the authoritative position Aurora usually held when dealing with the three hoodlums. Neither answered, the only response from the group was Mike's high-pitched squeals of delight.

            "I can't believe it," Aurora murmured. "What did he order?" she asked turning to Draco and Harry.

            "Eggs sunny side up, some bacon, I believe a sausage," Draco answered.

            "And also orange juice!" Harry added. The comment was followed by a pink steam appearing near Harry's face, which made the man sneeze so hard that he fell to the ground.

            "Are you all right?" Ginny asked with a worried expression of her face. "What happened?" The colored gas was gone, but Harry's face was in an unhealthily shade of red.

            "He should be fine. Mike had put this little curse on him when he got to be a bit hyper," Draco replied.

            "Let me guess," Aurora answered narrowing her eyes. "You let him sprinkle the pepper on his eggs while drinking orange juice." Looks of horror donned on Ginny and Carrie's faces.

            "What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

            "He is allergic to the special combination of magically made orange juice and pepper. Normal homemade or muggle store bought orange juice doesn't affect him that way. No one really knows why he is allergic to just that combination," Carrie explained. The clarification of the situation gave Parvati a dubious expression. "The reaction is just insanity, not like killing a person, but more of a syndrome that like the epitome of Fred and George's pranking tactics."

            "So how do we undo the curse?" Ginny asked. The caused Harry to blanche and another round of the irritating gas be around him while Draco Malfoy turned red. Mike on the other hand, although being restrained by Aurora, was giggling hysterically once again.

            "He has to tell the truth, and only the truth for 5 times, according to Mike," Draco replied. "I think he has two more to go."

            "A game of truth or dare," Aurora exclaimed with a devilish smile causing Harry to whimper with his curse's usual reaction. "Now Mr. Potter, do like our Miss Wealey?"

            "Aurora!" Ginny shouted completely unnerved by the question. On one hand, Ginny's mind screamed that she wanted to know, but the other portion didn't want to hear rejection. The horrified look on Harry's face didn't contribute to Ginny's curious side. How was she supposed to compare to some of the other women Harry sees everyday?

            "Well?" the rest of the group asked with equally evil tones.

            "I like Ginny . . ." Harry began, but the pink smoke was erupting again. This made the young Weasley's heart sink. "Wait, not yet!" The smoke rescinded "I like Ginny a lot!" There was a small spew of the pink gas. It wasn't enough to make Harry sick, but it was enough for the gas to exasperatedly say, "Fine, we'll let that one pass."

            "The next question," Aurora announced. "Who will ask this one?" In a normal situation, Ginny would have detected the scheming plan behind Aurora's body language, but when Harry had said, as she quotes, "I like Ginny a lot," her mind was quite giddy.

            "So what were you going to ask Ginny?" Mike shrieked happily.

            "That . . . that," Harry gulped. He took three deep breaths and began in a more confident voice. "Ginny, would you like to go out with me?" the condescending cloud of the curse was gone.

            That had definitely brought Ginny out of her revelry. "What?!"

            "I understand if you mean no," Harry answered in the equally confident voice. The only sign giving away his dismay was the absence of the sparkling, happy light usually in his playful green-eyes. Either fortunately or unfortunately, a camera shot interrupted Ginny.

            "Oh damn!" Aurora cursed, immediately drawing her wand to summon the reporter as well as the camera. This caused Mike's restraining curse be weakened, and he was able to run free. This wasn't a good sign for Ginny was Mike wasn't too happy when his supposed happily ever after didn't come. The hyperactive youth – sort of, he was 17 and going on his last year at some Wizarding school in Switzerland – jumped at Ginny.

            "Aw hell!" both Draco and Harry declared. It was right, hell was definitely being wrecked, and the hidden photographers decided Aurora wouldn't be able to take care of all of them at the same time, so they all decided to become visible. _Mother is going to kill me, _an irritate Draco thought.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Bulletin: **

Well . . . *looking over chapter* is it just me, did that seem pointless from the beginning to about four paragraphs before the end? Oh well. I can't bear to part with them. If you don't like it, tell me. If I get enough negative comments, I'll edit out the randomness. Oh it's 17 pages long; it's not your imagination.

            I know I had said the press conference would be in this chapter, but considering what I have now, uh-uh, not possible. I'll get another chapter out as soon as possible. The soonest being Wednesday. But after next week, updates might go back to the one a week schedule as my writing course begins, combined with summer swim team, and darn summer school. Anyhow, was there enough H/G to make sure my living will not be cut short?

**Off to Thanks:**

**Punkin**: I know this might be too late, but good luck on all your finals! And my, so much projects! Good thing AP classes are all teaching for the test, so we don't get projects too often. It isn't a lot of fun, but at least I have some extra time. I am glad you like the little bit of fluff. I wanted to add more, but it seems I am fluff challenged, as you might have concluded after reading this chapter. ^^ 

**Sara**: Good! Another person pleased. ^^ So I guess there will be more fluff later on. Is it normal to blush while writing fluff? It was difficult to explain to my mother why I was red all of the sudden.

**Aindel**: Thank you for the lovely studying ideas! I used them, and I did great on all of my tests! Or at least I think I did . . . but that doesn't matter. School is over for me, as you have been reminded countless times in our chats. I would also like to thank you for getting rid of that writer's block. **Hey everyone! If you need help getting rid of writer's blocks, talk to Aindel_. _**There, my advertisment. ^^ Tell congratulations to your sister again. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY –  very belated greeting. I'll finish the card soon. It seems I can't find pictures that's appropriate. They all seem so child-like – unless you like that. Let me know! Oh, the earthly character for the story, I take it was a needed quality? ^^

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: Was it that surprising that they kissed? And who were they? Two couples did. Tell me!!!! I need to keep the characters in character ß sounded weird.

**Ella-Wood**: Thanks! You are part of the dozens of people who told me that I'll do fine. I should believe in you more since I did do fine! ^^

**lil kawaii doom**: So do you have any ideas on how to keep people like you connected, or get them connected to the story? If it isn't interesting, as in getting people's attention and curiosity, how should I make it so it would?

**Rhiain**: Oh no! Don't give up!!! *sniffle* I like reading your reviews . . . bah, I added a bit of Ginny and Harry in this chapter. You won't give up on me now, would you??

**SailorChibi**: Thank you! To tell you the truth, kissing and things like that make we squirmy. I dun like them! But that's just me, not the characters. My friends tend to make fun of me because I think those actions are just strange. *continues blushing*

**Rosalind**: Oh they'll get together. They better or my fingers will die. ^^

**Goggle Boy**: I am trying!!! *whines* See this chapter? I am making an effort.

Chapter 14 Reviews:

**KeeperOfTheMoon**: Guess this wasn't soon, right? Sorry, but it is long . . .

**Female Fred**: Good, same here! I need it to move on . . . 

**Punkin**: Hello again. You get two notes!!! Sorry about the chapter being cut short before the press conference. I think I might dedicate a chapter on that, at least most of the chapter. After the new chaos, I think it'll be long. Don't worry, the proposition from Harry needs to be resolved, so yeah . . . more H/G. ^^

**Aindel**: Goody! You liked Sirius and Remus. I think they are making a show at the press conference. Maybe Sirius's job is to make sure the media doesn't slaughter his poor godson and his possible godson's girlfriend. ^^ Remus is probably just there to make sure Sirius doesn't cause too much trouble.

**Liliana-Suger: Thank you!** Tell me what you think of this one!

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: Um, clueless about what? If it's a minor thing, it should be fine. ^^

**Sunshine Stargirl**: Thank you!

**Silver Witch**: Your back!!!!! Sorry, just a random bought of hyperness. ^^ Goody, I am curious about how I wrote this chapter. But I suppose I should be more nervous about the next one – I feel it might be fluffy . . . *grumble: can't write fluff*

**Arkaynn**: Does that mean I don't need to be fluffy? Wow! And thanks for the compliment!

Well, that was it! Hope everyone enjoyed this meaningless chapter. I am still not sure how and why I did that. Was it pointless? Or am I just over analyzing like I do to everything? Oh well.

Please review and let me know what you think. It gets difficult writing blindly. ^^ Toodles! (and bottom braces feel funny, and driving is scaring.)


	17. Press Conference Memorabilia

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I own . . .  what do I own? Hm, only myself, and I don't what my parents say, but everything that is in my room. Even the dust that make me sneeze! You don't see Harry Potter copyrights on there do you? Good, because I don't own them.

Author's Note: Well, summer wasn't as relaxing as I thought it would be. Anyhow, one of my summer classes is over (thank goodness!) and the other only lasts two hours everyday. I probably will spend the rest of my time writing, reading, attempting to make my own website, or crocheting – in that order.

~*~*~

Chapter Seventeen: Press Conference Memorabilia 

            The group besides Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati had ended up in the office of the Minister of Magic. The pregnant Hermione was sent to the hospital wing, accompanied by her Hogwarts housemates/roommates, to get checkups on her unborn child to make sure the mess hadn't hurt the babe. Witnesses deemed lavender and Parvati innocent so they were able to walk free. 

The novice aurors who were sent to treat minor magical scruffles had arrested their senior for causing a ruckus in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Mrs. Malfoy, Sirius, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley had been summoned to listen to the Minister of Magic lecture their not-so juvenile delinquents and to lecture the guilty party themselves. Most of the novices had been snickering, but the old Malfoy sneer, patented five hundred years ago by Nicolas Flamel, had forced all the young-uns to keep their mouth sealed in a line. What they didn't know was that Aurora would be training them as soon as she gets married. Malfoy protocol doesn't allow their women to do the dirty work unless there is some honor attached to it, so the poor girl was demoted, in Ginny's opinion to train disobedient youths. From the way the novices were acting, Aurora would definitely be the complete opposite of what her name means.

            Ginny didn't like being in the MoM's office. The last time she had been in there was when her journalism project got herself in trouble with the ministry's security. She didn't hurt anyone, but the information she had gotten was actually top secret. This caused the onset of Percy driving everyone in the building bananas by complaining about how his littlest sibling, and also sister (a remark scoffed at by Ginny), had penetrated the security system.

            "Miss Classen, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Malfoy," the minister began, "I am severely disappointed by the reported actions you have taken. All three of you are renowned aurors with topmost training in spell and curses. It was an unfair battle for those unarmed reporters and you three. But of course, you had your friends help in addition to your strengths!"

            "Unarmed?" Aurora declared. "What do you call those cameras they were holding? If they are pressing charges, I will too. For stalking and harassment."

            "I understand Miss Classen, that you haven't had a friendly relationship with the media, but that is no reason to put a highly powerful stunning spell on the poor man. The other reporter had three ribs broken due to your summoning spell. How are you to answer that?!" By now, the defiant look on Aurora's face had made the minister's face quite red. Ginny had wondered if the poor man had high blood pressure. He might suffer from a heart attack some time soon. 

"Oppsy," Aurora replied casually as though those injuries were normal. Broken ribs might have been common for her, but that wasn't ordinary for reporters. The minister had turned his attention to Mrs. Malfoy silently wishing for the girl's temporary guardian to do something about her _unruly_ future daughter-in-law. The older Malfoy only looked out the window with a disdainful and superior smirk. It had seemed no Malfoy was going to look up to the minister unless he or she was a Malfoy.

            "I would like to speak with my aurors privately please," the minister began uneasily. Ginny was sure he wanted to yell at them without a prominent and aristocratic lady standing in an intimidating fashion in the room. Perhaps then, the minister would have the audacity to truly lecture his top aurors.

            As soon as everyone was ushered out of their room the lectures had begun, only for Ginny. Mrs. Malfoy merely walked to a seat and sat down considering her immediate charges were being lecture by the minister. Mike and Carrie had been left alone while Ginny received three lectures from her mother, Harry's godparent, and Harry's quasi-godparent.

            "I always thought you were the reasonable one," Sirius began. "Why didn't you stop them from being psychotic?" Ginny mentally rolled her eyes. She wasn't about to tell Sirius Harry had asked her to be his girlfriend, which caused her brain to freeze so she could analyze whether he had meant or he was being forced by Mike's insane twin.

            "I wouldn't really call it being psychotic," Ginny replied instead. "They have always been hounded by the press. Thank goodness they have a security spell for their presence during their missions; otherwise the success rate would be a negative number!" Sirius had nodded in agreement. The parental side of him wanted to lecture Ginny more, but his dominating juvenile side had agreed with Ginny. The memory of how Lily and James's engagement had traveled through Europe had irked him as well as the memory of how the media had ruled out his innocence on the Pettigrew trial.

            "It doesn't really matter," Remus answered stepping in. "I suppose it wasn't fair of us to ask you to control three full-grown and trained aurors who are actually nominated for the Unspeakable roles. Any how, I am just quite surprised at why you chose to join them."

            "By means of self defense only. Besides, Mrs. Malfoy had specifically instructed for me to say nothing about the matter of the wedding and the craziness of the event until the press conference. I had to keep the reporters at bay."

            "Mrs. Malfoy," Ginny's mother had grumbled. No matter how close the two families might be after the upcoming controversial wedding, Mrs. Weasley still had the grudge against the Malfoys. After all, they had _sort of _bought their way out of trouble again, only with the help of a third party that no one knows about.

            "There is nothing wrong about the advice Mum," Ginny whined. She really didn't want to deal with family prejudices right now, especially when her best friend is about to marry into that supposed horrible family.

            "If they had taken care of the problem better in the first place, none of this insanity would have happened!" Mrs. Weasley shouted in clenched teeth. Thankfully Mrs. Malfoy was taken to a different room by Carrie and Mike so Ginny could some private time. Whether that was good for Ginny . . . well, the definition of _good_ has a wide spectrum.

            "Now half of the world thinks my poor girl is marrying a Malfoy for Merlin's sake!"

            "They do?!" Both Sirius and Remus exclaimed. "We were never informed of this magnitude of the situation. So what do they make of Harry?" Ginny had turned bright red. How she always gets placed on the spot? Why did Hermione have to go to the hospital wing now?

            "Um, few magazines had thought Harry was marrying Aurora. I believe one had deemed Harry a homosexual with Aurora getting jealous of the attention her coworkers lather on each other."

            "What about that kiss?" Sirius asked. Mrs. Weasley had chocked on her water, and all Ginny wanted to do was to dig herself a hole in the center of the earth and hibernate there until the end of the world.

            "What kiss?!" The elderly woman demanded making Ginny groan softly. She desperately wished the worst on the three aurors that dragged her into the mess; the minister better be giving them hell. "You didn't kiss – kiss that – that . . ." Mrs. Weasley was shaking in trepidation. She really didn't want her little girl to be kissing some random person. As far the Mrs. Weasley knew, Ginny was not romantically involved with anyone.

            "Harry and I kissed," Ginny answered bluntly. That had to have been the best solution. The news should stump her mother for five hours that only leaves Sirius and Remus to worry about. Perhaps after five hours, she won't be the only youth in the presence of the overbearing, parental figures.

            The news had indeed shocked Mrs. Weasley. However, the added effect was Sirius and Remus getting stumped as well. _Hmm, bluntness might just work to get people off my back!_ Ginny thought shrewdly. To Ginny's relief, Hermione had come back from the hospital wing. That had gotten all the attention off the poor younger Weasley. 

            "Oh Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "How is the babe? Nothing is wrong?"

            "No," Hermione replied with an apologetic smile to Ginny. "I don't see why they made a fuss about it all. I was on the sidelines when everything went berserk. Carrie had enough sense to put a protective shield around me just in case a camera flew my way."

            "Bless that dear girl," Mrs. Weasley gushed making Ginny wonder at how her mother could change personalities so fast everyday. "Oh my!" the soon-to-be a grandmother (again) cried out. "I suppose the minister is done speaking with them. Ginny, Hermione, come home with me. We'll leave Sirius and Remus alone to speak with Harry." The shorter, older woman had both on each side of her and walked towards the exit. "We should take Carrie and Mike as well. From what I have heard, poor Mike had an allergic reaction. I'll see what I can do to make him feel better. And that way, Mrs. Malfoy can be left alone with her son and his fiancée," Mrs. Weasley finished curtly causing Ginny and Hermione to discreetly shake their heads at their mother's continual dislike for Malfoys, even though one of the person she directed the dislike at was a girl she had once approved of.

            Ginny was about to leave the room when Harry tugged on her arm. The bashful youth that was at Hogwarts returned replacing the world-renowned auror. Ginny noticed her was nervously twiddling his fingers while trying to casually brush his hair back. _I wonder why he does that. The finger combs just make his hair stick up more._ The overly rational part of Ginny's brain decided to retort of course. _That's what's so likeable about Harry, the casual-messy look._

            "What is it Harry?" Ginny asked with her voice somewhat shaky. Five years of idolizing the Boy Who Lived, four years of being close friends, numerous friendly chat session, and now Ginny Weasley chose to be nervous. _And it all returned this morning._

            "I wanted to speak with you alone," Harry replied. He had shot a look at hi surrogate parents. "Can you meet with me in one hour at the coffee shop? That should be enough time for Sirius to chew my head thoroughly while Remus cleans up the mess." Ginny couldn't help but laugh at Harry's expense. He definitely deserved to be mentally beaten by the elders. The lecture from the Minister of Magic would never accomplish its purpose since the man feared his aurors like how a mouse is afraid of a cat.

            "Sure. One hour. Have Fun!"

~*~*~

            Ginny waited patiently in the ministry café. Aurora wasn't too happy about Ginny not accompanying her for the rest of the afternoon so she made a cheeky comment about the meeting with Harry.

            "Don't take too long," Aurora began. "I know there are years of pent up _emotions_ to let out so don't forget the press conference. The best man and the maid of honor should be present."

            "Emotion?" Ginny asked with a suspicious glare, but the soon-to-be married woman had apparated out of the café.

            There was still another 45 minutes of waiting until Harry would show up. Thankfully no reporters had decided to hobnob in the café so Ginny didn't have to put up with any black-eyed, swollen cheeked paparazzi. In the mean time, Ginny was flipping through some fashion magazines in hopes of deciding a maid of honor dress. The coffee had long run out. Ginny, exasperated with her coffee, walked back to the counter to buy another cup.

            "I like this dress," Harry declared causing Ginny to nearly spill her hot drink.

            "The green one? Why does everyone choose a green dress for me?" Ginny whined. "I would look like a walking Christmas ornament!"

            "I don't know about anyone else, but green is my favorite color. Also, the theme of the wedding seems to be green."

            "Of course it is, it is the color of your eyes," Ginny retorted. "So many of your admirers had complimented on your lovely, emerald green eyes that mirror your emotions like the clear waters of an untainted mountain spring." Ginny finished the dramatic romanticism with an exaggerated sigh.

            "Exactly, so don't you want a dress just like that?" Harry replied. "Though I am not sure if you want the mirroring part." The redhead put down her coffee and rolled her eyes.

            "I don't know. It might be 'as green as fresh pickled toad'. Wouldn't want that too happen." The joke on the scandalous Valentine poem shocked Harry. Ginny didn't talk about her first year at Hogwarts often due to the bad memories that will forever be etched in her memory. Being brain washed by Tom Riddle and nearly killing three students was not something that should be brought up in daily conversation.

            "Should I be hurt by that?" Harry teased back. The return to the flirtatious streak would not be good for Harry, not when he had unofficially asked Ginny out just a few hours ago. The little warning bells in Harry's head were setting off the wrong warnings.

            "So what did you want to speak with me about?" Ginny asked dragging the conversation away from choosing a dress for her. She had enough of the fusses about wedding clothing.

            "About this morning," Harry began. Ginny's mood had gone from happy-perky to near-depression in the span of .5 milliseconds. "I want to apologize for putting you on the spot this morning."

            _Oh here comes the "sorry Ginny, I only like you like a sister speech" or that one about "I like you, but you are not my type. Wonderful, this is going to come out of Harry Potter's mouth. Let's see, do I have enough money to pay for therapy fees after this ordeal? Hmmm, it shouldn't matter. The consultation fees and various other payments Aurora and Draco are going to pay should cover most of the psychoanalyst fees. Besides, if the amount does exceed what I have already, Aurora is going to pay for all of it until I am deemed normal. She did say she would pay for psychotherapy fees due to the Harry Potter Syndrome._

            "It's alright Harry. The spell Mike put on you did that. Don't worry about it. Fred and George have done worse. I cannot believe they picked on Seamus in my sixth year so much that I had to breakup with him just to keep my twin brothers from sending prank mails to him," Ginny comforted Harry and herself by bringing up the past. "So I'll see you at the press conference? Aurora warned me to tell you that tardiness from the maid of honor and the best man will not be tolerated."

            "Wait," Harry called out. "But I did mean what I said." Ginny blinked rapidly trying to comprehend what the emerald eyed man was implying. "You know, I have liked you since a long time ago. While at Hogwarts, all your brothers were so protective of you that I was afraid asking you to go out with me would mean suicide. Besides that, I was also afraid how you would handle my proposition. Ron had said you were my number one fan, so I wasn't sure whether or not you like me for me, or like the million other woman on the streets that want my social status as well as money from the job and family heritance. Seriously, people knew more about me – even now – than I would ever find out myself." Ginny was stunned at the revelations.

            "Ginny? Are you all right?" Harry questioned with worry mirroring in his eyes as many admirers had described. Ginny nodded. "I was babbling wasn't I?" another nod. "Are you sure you are all right?" nod. "You know, if you keep on doing that, Aurora is going to murder me." That gave Harry a loud slap on the shoulder. "You are not mad at me are you? Violence is not a great solution, just remember that."

            "Shush Harry. You are such as oaf! There is nothing wrong with me. I am just a bit shocked," Ginny explained. Seeing the more distressed look on Harry's face, Ginny prayed to all holy beings that make sure she doesn't faint. The pounding sound of her heart echoed in her head and she was quite sure her pulse could be seen at her neck.

            "So you knew of my Harry Potter obsession before I even got to talk to you?" Ginny asked in a small voice. The presence next to her suddenly felt quite overwhelming, maybe she would faint. "If you did like me, why didn't you just ask or something?" Harry's face had a pink tinge to it.

            "When I did gather up the courage, I had heard from people you liked Seamus. So I thought your earlier reaction to my name was just a phase and since you got used to my presence, the new and exciting situation was gone . . . then you went on with your usual life and crushes." Even as Harry said things aloud, he knew the excuse was stupid. Ginny had thought the same and light smacked Harry in the back of his head.

            "You ARE an oaf," the young Weasley replied with a wide smile. "That was sweet and very considerate, but you are such an oaf."

            "Does that mean you like me back?" Harry asked lamely. He was prepared for a smack in the face for refusal, or a gleefully happy girl hugging him back. The over-rational reaction was not one Harry Potter was prepared for. It actually felt like he was standing in front of the firing squad rather than the person the question as proposed to.

            "Of course I like you back. If I did, the 'sorry' speech would have been given." Ginny was no longer apprehensive. The reality of everything suddenly sank in and the girlish giggles were released. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe it," Ginny shouted while giving Harry a tight hug. So the gleefully happy response was there, but no what. Should Harry kiss her, buy her a drink, or hug and swing the poor girl around until she was dizzy.

            "So . . ." Ginny began. "Was I supposed to say 'yes Harry, I'll date you'?" Even though the phrase was said in question form, the meaning was there. That was when Harry actually responded. Without a moments notice, Ginny found her in Harry's arms for the second time that week. This time however, they were kissing in public, but that didn't really matter to the newly formed couple.

            After a few minutes, the lovebird finally stopped.

            "Aurora really had a bad influence on you," Harry remarked making Ginny more confused in a dazed state. _So what? Harry is a good kisser._ "You drink coffee. The American had corrupted you, you- you- you coffee drinker!" _Okay, so the Boy Who Lived was not as perfect as all the romantics believe. Being weird is actually a good auror quality – just take Mad Eye Moody for an example._

~*~*~

            "Everyone, please quiet down," the moderator of the press conference had announced. The Malfoy Manor's main drawing room had been filled with chairs for reporters, and those chairs were all seated with people as well.

            "We shall begin from this side of the room," the moderator pointed to the northeastern corner.

            "Excuse Mr. Forn," Mrs. Malfoy cut in. "I believe my son and his fiancée should make their statements before the questioning begins." The man cowered and blushed. With a shaking nod, voice amplifiers appeared in front of the group.

            "Good evening ladies and gentleman," Draco began. "I am sure everyone is quite anxious to find out who my fiancée is." Nods from multiple reporters had encouraged him to continue. "The truth is, the lucky, or unlucky lady is not much of a mystery. Had you not made so many false and illogical assumptions, the identity of my fiancée is quite obvious."

            "Just get on with it!" an irate reporter urged. The Malfoy heir merely sneered at the man.

            "As I was saying, I will tell you the identity of my fiancée. I assure you will find the answer at the end of the night." Complaints were heard and the Malfoy's body language had answered any doubts as to why they were aristocratic and deserved respect.

            "Draco, it isn't nice to tease them," Mrs. Malfoy interrupted. As much as she enjoyed teasing the media back, groups of irritated former Gryffindors near the back of the room were tapping their foot impatiently. Mrs. Weasley didn't put in a lot of effort to conceal her dislike of the situation. For one, people believed her little girl was going to marry a Malfoy. And two, the little girl arrived at the Burrow hand in hand with Harry. If that scene got out, people are going to believe little Virginia Weasley is a scarlet woman.

            "Very well," Draco replied in his spoiled brat's bored voice. "There is no grand unveiling, but my beautiful fiancée stands to my right." Camera flashes were mainly aimed to his right; however, there were two women on either side of him. On the right was obviously Aurora and on the left was Ginny. A less intelligent photographer had taken a picture with Ginny as the center of attention.

            "Is there a reason why my picture is being taken?" Ginny pointed out with Harry hugging her closer to give a hint: People, Ginny Weasley is with H. Potter, not D. Malfoy.

            "What do you think you are doing? The other right!" This proclamation led the entire room to burst in laughter and the photographer put his down in shame. Just as the hall quieted, his complaints were heard.

            "He said 'right'. How was I supposed to know whether it was his or mine right?" One last glare from Draco Malfoy had brought silence back.

            "Questions?" Draco asked to redirect the topic to his upcoming wedding.

            "When will the wedding be?" one of the reporter asked, and so the questions had began. All the important people of the wedding were introduced: the groomsmen, the bridesmaids, and –of course – the couple that aide the marrying couple. The standing order had been choreographed so that the best man and the maid of honor could have their pictures taken together.

            The conference must have been the shortest one in the history of press conferences. Considering the actual marrying couple was not as controversial as it was believed to be, just revealing the identity of the fiancée was enough to make the situation un-tabloid worthy. In conclusion, a small reception was held for less formal questions, the ones that were not related to the wedding itself.

            "Is it true that Miss Weasley refused Mr. Potter's proposal to get to know her better?" a reporter had the nerve to direct that attention to Harry and Ginny. He had been one of the _poor _paparazzi that were attacked by three skilled aurors. Ginny and Harry had been standing with the marrying couple, and three glares were directed towards the imbecile. It seemed the aurors were shocked how a person could still be as annoying as they were before getting a couples of ribs broken and an eye socket bruised.

            "Are you two dating?" another reporter had asked. Ginny was the only person that was passive enough to answer the questions to send the reporters away.

            "I never refused Harry, and yes we are dating."

            "Miss Weasley," the reporter from Teen Witch began. "What do you feel about Mr. Potter being named at the most eligible bachelor for the fifth year in the row?"

            "He _is_ eligible!" Ginny exclaimed smile. The reporter had then looked at Aurora.

            "I will utter no comment on this on the account of self preservation," the female auror declared with a bite. "However," Aurora's tone had softened, "I will say Draco is the _most_ eligible." That had earned laughs from the entire group as the Malfoy heir kidded his fiancée with a threat. The question was then repeated to Draco.

"Oh yes, Potter definitely needs that title. He has been getting too desolate, the number of females surrounding him has been decreasing as well as his ego."

            "You know you love me Malfoy," Harry said turning to his coworker when the reporters decided to interrogate the older generation: the Malfoys, Mrs. Weasley, and the surviving half of the Marauders.

            "Oh I am absolutely entranced by you Harry," Draco replied sarcastically. "I just want to keep you by my side for the rest of my life, but too bad Mother and Father dislikes you. Else I would be marrying you rather than this potpourri of ideas here."

            "Sorry Draco," Ginny cut in, "Harry is on my leash while you are on Aurora's." The comment made the men indignant while Aurora and Ginny high-five the wittiness of the remark.

            "Miss Weasley?" a voice asked interrupting the fun time for the two couples. "Are the rumors true about your pregnancy? Also, is the child's father Mr. Potter?"

            "What?" Ginny and Harry questioned with shock. 

"How did that rumor even begin?" Harry asked. One reporter was about to respond. "No, don't answer that. Ginny and I have not gone that far with our relationship. I would like you to tell your sources to not invent rumors, at least not without reasonable basis." The tone Harry used made the reporter skitter away.

~*~ finis for now ~*~

**Omni's Rambles:** It seems this piece of work dragged out far longer than I had planned it would. This creates some major problems on my brain since I am not satisfied with any chapter I have written. Maybe it's phase of self-depreciation, but I seriously think this is turning out to be crappy.

Well, not that I am done beating myself up, it is "Thank You" time.

**HopefulTears**: Yay! You have an account! I'll be sure to read your fics once I get used to my summer class. Icky literary analysis paper for each night gets tough on my comprehension skills.

**The Dragon Guardian of the Sea**: I am sorry I confused you. If you want any sort of clarification, e-mail me the questions and I'll respond as best as I can explain things. I had noticed the prank part was a bit confusing even as I wrote it, but the words still wouldn't come out right. Sorry, I am going to change when I am intelligible.

**libra071988**: Thanks! Hope to see you back for this chapter. ^^

**arkaynn**: Thanks! I'll reload each chapter as I am getting in touch with the beta for this story after, oh two months. I know, very bad, inconsiderate me. It wasn't long enough? Oh boy, my poor fingers let alone my head. Hmm, that request is going to be hard to respond to. I can't promise the chapter will get longer. They were on their way of getting shorter . . .

**Avalon**: Oh, Harry and Ginny was forced to pretend was because of the odd logic in the mind of Aurora. If Ginny and Harry acted like they were together, the press wouldn't say Aurora was marrying Harry, or Ginny was marrying Draco, or the heterosexual relationship between Harry and Draco. The forced relationship was a supposed harmless way to proving the press wrong. It doesn't make sense to most people, even to me at this minute, but it did make sense at some point in time . . . ^^ I miss my brain.

**Rhiain**: THANKS! Oky, done exclaiming, I am now calm. I need to read your story, what's the title? Oh right, as you probably have noticed, there wasn't quite a lot of struggle for the two to get together . . . not too much action.

**Saima**: Thank you for answering that poll. **I was serious about the poll!** That was for those who didn't care. Anyway, good to see that the progression is not horribly slow. ^^ However, I believe this chapter moved too fast. I need to find the middle ground.

**Punkin**: No need to apologize. School is nuts and go against all that's life. Not really, but I don't like it right now. I haven't gotten my AP results yet so I get pretty squeamish when the subject is brought up. One test I had thought I had done well while the other was absolutely horrible. What the curriculum had focused on was only one third of the test. *wail, breather, calm* Now the dating obstacle is done. ^^

**lil kawaii doom**: Thank you, I like that too. A wandy version of the truth potion whose name I cannot spell right now. ^^ Get them plastered, hmm. Now that is an idea.

**Ella Wood**: I didn't get my finals back either, but the grades were very satisfactory. ^^

**Aindel**: Sorry about your computer. I think all technology are moody and only choose to work for people at times convenient for them. Seriously, the machines are taking over the world. There is a story behind the cooking part. It was inspired by multiple cooking disasters that my friend and I have endured. Luckily we didn't get burned . . . too badly.

**Silver Witch**: Your advice helped a lot. But the burning sensation on the cheek is quite distracting. *makes funny face* I am glad your computer is fixed, I think I am getting too dependent on mine. There is absolutely no way I can survive my English class without it.

Perhaps more people can read and review. I am a bit disappointed at the decrease in feedback . . . oh well. Such is life: fairness is overrated. Very well, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter.

_With happy thoughts,_

_Omni_


	18. Solitude and Concealment

The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Usual applies; my brain ran out of its creativity in disclaiming steam.

~*~*~

Chapter Eighteen: Solitude and Concealment 

            The declaration of love – rather _like _like – between Harry and Ginny had made headlines. No one really knew how to respond besides go on with his or her normal lives. Considering the major plans of the wedding were completed, Ginny could focus all of her attention on finishing her apprenticeship in journalism.

            Sidetracks from Aurora's pre-marital problems had deterred Ginny from her goal of completing her education briefly, but an owl from the Classen family had asked for Aurora to return home. Needless to say, Ginny was quite glad Aurora was off her hands. As much as she loved the other woman like a sister, one could only stand so much nagging, whether on one's own life or the nagger's own experiences, for a short period of time.

            In two months, Ginny had completed her dissertation for her journalism degree. It was now March, the lovely spring scenery was everywhere. Flowers were in full bloom with Ginny's owl suffering from allergies. When Mimi had her minor bouts of sneezing, it was impossible to send letters to people. Harry had been busy with his deskwork at the ministry's defense department, so the little pile named "Harry's Notes" was gradually multiplying in size.

            No romantic excursions happened between the couple. Ginny was left wondering whether or not she and Harry were actually a couple. Certainly the notes were signed "with love", but to what degree was the comment true? Don't people in love usually do things together? Taking a deep breath, Ginny decided to write a letter to Harry informing him of her _surprise_ visit. Ginny would have preferred for the surprise to actually be unexpected, but with ministry security, she didn't want a replay of what happened the last time she had visited.

            Right after finishing the note, a rather destructible sneeze from Mimi reminded Ginny of her predicament. No matter how much she endeared the owl, allergy season meant no mailing season. Unfortunately, no potion master wanted to invent a potion for curing owlish allergies a no many animal postmen had the syndrome.

            _I suppose a more direct approach is needed . . ._

            Ginny went to her fireplace and used her wand to light up the hearth. Putting in a pinch of the communication powder, Ginny called Harry's name. Hopefully the ministry didn't have security checks for communicating via fires. To Ginny's rotten luck, the message had to be passed from the central office, to the defense department secretary, to the auror sector's secretaries, which finally transferred Harry Potter's personal secretary.

            Getting though all the people was an annoyance. After the various news articles on Harry and Ginny's new relationship, random people Ginny had never met before wished her good luck for unknown reasons, or complimented her on her "nice catch". The response from Harry's secretary was delayed as she announced Harry was in a meeting with some person. Ginny waited patiently once again, so she would be able to get whatever identification, permission needed to enter the ministry building.

            "Hello Ginny," Harry's head finally popped up in the fireplace. "How are you?"

            I am fine other than the fact that I haven't spoken to by supposed boyfriend since the press conference. Letters are a form of transferring ideas, but hand written words are not great substitutes for oral communication . . . at least in the form of people relationships.

            "I am doing great," Ginny lied. "I was wondering if we could have dinner together or something. I just finished my thesis for journalism and I wanted to celebrate. Four years of learning how to write is finally paying off. I am almost done. All I need is a full time journalism job, and I could be called truly independent."

            Harry's face lit up at the wonderful news. Fixing his sliding glasses, the auror nodded fervently. "That's great! Why don't you come here in an hour? That would be near lunchtime. We can a grab a quick snack. Then spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want, and followed by finishing the outing with dinner. I'll wait for you at the entrance so you won't have to go through any of those hassles." Harry had made a face at the new security system. 

            Ginny nodded at the proposition. The plan would allow Ginny and Harry to at least act like a couple. At state of how their relationship was at now, priorities and values should be evaluated to see if a relationship is plausible at the time. An outsider would think Ginny and Harry are dodging each other since no one really took the initiative to plan a couple's outing.

~*~*~

            Ginny arrived at the ministry fifteen minutes early. Somehow news had gotten around that Harry was meeting Ginny so she was allowed entrance to the ministry building. _So much for tight security . . ._ Walking the winding hallways to the aurors' office, Ginny had gotten many more comments on her relationship with Harry. Reaching the circular office of the auror's was a tremendous break. Those secretaries were too stuck up really take notice of Ginny. Looking around the room, the extraordinarily arrogant blonde and leggy secretary that was always around the Famous Triplet was nowhere in the room. The girl that Ginny had recognized as Harry's personal assistant waved to catch Ginny's attention.

            "Just go through that door Miss Weasley!" the girl explained excitedly.

            _She must be new . . . No wonder she treats with such enthusiasm._

            The redhead smiled in return and walked into the special room that separates the Famous Triplet from the rest of the aurors. Ginny looked around the familiar room. The flickering of light and the moving shadows seemed like Harry was in a meeting.

            Ginny walked to the window and waited until the meeting would be over. Through the glass, one could see across the ministry property. The greenhouses for research on plants were right below the view. The people busy working in the cultivation area looked like busy bees around a beehive or ants hurrying home.

            A loud jingling laughter interrupted Ginny's observations. She started at the creaking sound of an opening door. Jumping as though a guilty child was caught red-handed, Ginny whirled around to find a rather familiar blonde standing too close to her _boyfriend_. The redhead laughed embarrassedly, and excused herself.

            "Sorry about interrupting your _meeting_," Ginny apologized. Her reply was forced and gradually got harsh. She turned to exit the office before anything could be said by Harry or implied by the offending Miss Blonde-and-Leggy.

~*~*~

            Ginny Weasley's thoughts were jumbled. Technically, she was supposed to feel betrayed by the scene, but somehow, the betrayal is nonexistent. The overly rational part of her conscious was trouncing the skeptical side in the rate of making excuses and reasons for Harry's actions. The lead of the pro-Harry sides, however, was quickly dropping. As time passed by, skepticism quickly took over Ginny's judgement.

_Skeptical: the secretary is quite beautiful. She is smart, sophisticated, and of course, so many men that work in the sector turn their heads whenever the woman walks by. Compared to her, Ginny is a mere girl-next-door. While Ginny is a simple homely redhead wearing simple pants and blouse, the secretary was tall, skinny, voluptuous, and the business suit's short skirt was showing off her legs._

Rational: Well . . . now that you describe the situation that way, I can hardly rebut the assumption. Either way, I don't care how incriminating that had looked, Harry is a moral person. He wouldn't dare do anything wrong, such as cheating on Ginny or asking Ginny out when he already had a girlfriend.

Skeptical: Now you are sounding skeptical. I believe that is my job description. Considering you are sounding like me, I rest my case. Our Ginny Weasley is no competition to that Aphrodite.

            Ginny groaned at the mini conversation between her mental angel and devil. It had to be unhealthy for a person to have so many voices in their heads. For one, the conversations going on would distract the host from actual events happening at the very second. In the case with Ginny, the poor disturbed and confused young woman ran straight into a person as she meandered through the streets.

            "Geez, watch where you are going!" the annoyed voice shouted in return. "Ginny?"

            Ginny looked up from her near re-acquaintance with the concrete. The piqued speaker was Draco Malfoy.

            "Hello Draco," Ginny answered with a smile. "How has life been treating you?" The auror must have noticed Ginny's self-depreciating tone and the uncharacteristic concerned expression replaced the oh-I-met-someone-know face. Ginny looked at the taller man with a small grin. "Well?"

            "Oh, life is fine," Draco replied. Ginny quirked an eyebrow, the idiosyncrasy of her and Aurora. A flash of pain flittered across the pale feature of the Malfoy heir. "How about you?"

            "Oh, I am just perky. Why shouldn't I be?" Ginny asked noting the doubt from her conversation partner. "I finished my term paper for school. Now I am officially a grown-up with a skill to get money. I believe the Daily Prophet decided to give me my own column, which is extraordinary for a novice if what my professors tell me are true." Ginny continued to babble on about the latter moments of her educations.

            " . . . so basically, if the school had a valedictorian, I would be it. You know the other splendiferous thing? Because of my achievements, I got a 500-galleon reimbursement from the school. It's given to help school get on their feet after school, but since I already got an early acceptance to the newspaper, I now have extra 500 galleons on my hands." The happy news and sense of completion pushed all the dreary thought of a certain black haired auror out of Ginny's mind.

            "Congratulations!" Draco Malfoy replied. He was a bit dazed at Ginny's 10-minute rant about her journalism training. "I suppose you are here to celebrate with Potter?"

            That was definitely the wrong thing to say. Ginny's newly gained joyful mood plummeted to the day's lowest point. Disappointment marred the smile on the lightly freckled cheeks.

            "No, he was busy . . ." Ginny replied softly looking at the ground. Determined to make the best of her day, Ginny jerked her head up with a smile. "Do you have anything to do right now?" The former Slytherin shook his head uncertain of what to expect. "Good. Will you go celebrate with me? I feel like treating myself to a massive dessert."

            "Are you certain you want to?" Draco asked smoothly. Ginny could tell he was a bit apprehensive. What did Aurora and him argue about anyway that is making a Malfoy un-suave? "I mean, it is going to be a lot of sweets. How are you going to burn the calories with your new desk job?"

            "Um, spend the 500 galleons and the first months of pay for a house with a swimming pool and swim every day? Or possibly join one of those muggle fitness clubs that Hermione was talking about joining after having the baby. I think the membership is quite cheap. That should last me a couple months." Ginny laughed aloud at the exaggerated wince from Draco when she mentioned muggles. "So will you come?" Ginny's former enemy shrugged.

            "To the fitness club or you little celebration?" Ginny glared at Draco. "Oh, why not? You only live once. Besides, we can join each other in misery. So which restaurant do you want to go to?"

            "The Tea Cottage," was Ginny's dazed reply. How did Malfoy read me so well? Oh right, stupid aurors and their reading people training. No wonder there is an underground movement to get rid of aurors' psychology training. According to the radicals, the power of breaking minds is against human rights.

            Ginny and Draco walked silently to the little pastry house enjoying each other's presence. Neither wanted to share their troubles yet.

            The quaint little restaurant had a large area of land as its premise. However, a majority of the land was made into a garden. The aroma of herbs and flowers served as the air freshener if a pastry was burnt. The sun was bright in the sky so not many people wanted to be in the seats outside. The two misery companions went to a group of chairs deep amongst the greenery.

            "So why aren't you celebrating with your family?" Draco asked after they ordered their dessert series and got their drinks. Ginny lazily stirred her tea.

            "My parents don't care much for the journalism. After what the papers did to Harry, my mother definitely hated the whole crew," Ginny explained. "I like writing about the news and such. The gossip columns are not what I got my degree for. Besides, since I am not auror material, I might as well help the public be aware of their security level to help." Draco nodded and sipped his drink.

            "Hermione and Ron are busy preparing for the new addition to their family. I have never seen Ron so uptight or Hermione so moody." Ginny's companion laughed heartily. "And my other brothers are quite busy with their own family life. I think Fred and George might have found two girls who might be able to save them from my mother's wrath."

            "So the Weasley's do want a large family!" the blonde man exclaimed teasing Ginny. It wasn't like the taunts during the Hogwarts years. This was more like two best friends bantering each other without animosity. Ginny reached across the table and gave Malfoy a deserving smack. Draco shouted in pain and continually moaned and on and on about Ginny's strong hand.

            "No wonder Aurora calls you a baby!" Ginny retorted. "You call that a hard hit?"

            Draco never got to answer the question or defend himself since their first course of desserts was served. The appetizing strawberry shortcake was just sweet enough for the customers to want more desserts, but not so sweet that eating too much of it would cause a headache. 

The conversation ranged from details of the wedding to Draco Malfoy helping Ginny plan out her life with a journalism job at the Daily Prophet. The little bought of silliness didn't last long when a rich chocolate mousse was served. Considering Draco Malfoy's weakness for chocolate has been famous to all present at Hogwarts during the sixth year Easter break, Ginny had great entertainment seeing her partner in crime wolfing down a second serving of the dish.

"I don't know how they stay in business," Draco complained after Ginny pointed out he should save some room for the other desserts. "Why would people come here to eat sweets and get fat? Of course, then they go and exercise compulsively to burn the calories. If doesn't make sense!"

"Draco," Ginny began while condescendingly patting his hand, "Just eat. You are now part of the population that believes desserts are the ultimate comfort food. Just eat and don't complain. Enjoy yourself while the limits aren't set."

The blonde auror glared at Ginny and snatched back his hand as though he might be scorched. Ginny was a bit shocked at the sudden movement, but the childish smile on Draco Malfoy proved otherwise.

"Limits aren't set?" he asked. "There are actually limits?"

Before he could begin another armchair philosophical speech on the logistics of the Tea Cottage, Ginny broke off into her own little rant.

"You know, Aurora and I would do this every week during the summer. Then she would plan for a long hike around the mountains the following day. When we get back from the outing, we would then go swimming. She actually calculated the amount of exercise needed to burn those calories." Malfoy quirked his eyebrow when Ginny mentioned his fiancée's name.

"Oh really?" Draco responded slowly. His frown was more evidence, as though he was glaring at something behind Ginny. The redhead turned her head to look in the direction the auror was glowering at.

Walking to the entrance of the Tea Cottage was a certain dark haired auror with a certain female blonde companion.

~*~finis for now~*~

I am just going to be evil and end right there. I am still in the middle of a 5-page research paper. The next project is a cultural analysis of a text, so yeah . . . it is going to be another while until I can get on with it. Hmph! I was hoping I would be able to finish the story soon.

Oh well, such is life.

Let's see . . . PERSONAL THANKS!

**Ella Wood:** Thank you, but I no matter what people say, my self confidence will always teeter.

**Eclipse**: Don't say that before you get the next chapter. This is supposed to be a turning point. You know, where life suddenly seems too complicated and very weak-minded people would want to run away. I had noticed the large Draco/Aurora parts, but it was hard to ignore since it's their wedding. Hopefully the following trial/tribulation (plural if I have more time) will fix this.

**Rhiain**: Thank you! But they are not too close right now. They might not be an item if Harry is still as clueless as the other gender like how he was in the Order of the Phoenix.

**Arkaynn**: Thank you for those lovely suggestions. Of course, that part illustrated the extent of my eloquence. And I'll keep those ideas in my mind for later chapters.

**HopefulTears**: Trust me when I say I have self-confidence issues. Not really in how I look – got too many people say I need to eat more. It's not my fault that's what family genetics gave me. Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that portion of my life. I go to a school where they pick the geniuses in the city and all my friends have an I.Q. of over 130. How do you think you would feel when you are amongst people who can crank out an essay the night before the due date and still receive a 99% while the paper I had spent days working on got a 86%? Writing has never been one of my strong points as I have discovered Chemistry ranks just as low . . . let's hope my AP scores will be higher than my SAT II scores.

But here is something my friends always tell me: we have a lifetime ahead of us. Don't spend too much time worrying and wallowing in the pity induced my low self-esteem and –confidence.

**Lilia**: Oh yes, coffee. My lifesaver when it comes to exams. Got to love it. I think I am going to get monthly orders for coffee beans when I go to college.

**Punkin**: Thank you! The press conference took me awhile to choreograph. I wasn't sure who the reporters would react after the "attack on the media" that happened earlier.

**Aindel Druida**: Bored? Join the club. Well, I am more of the boredom due to lack of sleep. The dog I am pet-sitting is quite a handful. A run at 7:30AM and a run 12 hours later then beg the doggie to eat her food.

**Avalon**: Yay! I made you laugh – or what I wrote made you laugh. I was out of school in late May. The weather here got to 100 around that time. Now I am in summer school at the nearby college. Considering I will be taking AP English Language next year, I thought I could brush up on my analysis skills during the summer. As for breaks, the 105 minutes of class each day is actually great. I do my homework and I usually still have half the day to do whatever I want.

**Silver Witch**: I will certainly read them! Just keep bugging until I do. My system of tracking what stories to read is as messy as government organization. I know it for one day, then I forget it again.

**Hplova4eva**: You are new! Welcome to the messy- lives of HP characters bandwagon. I don't really think this popular enough to be called a bandwagon but you get my point. ^^ Please continue to enjoy this fic and feel free to make suggestions anytime.

Thank you all, and need I ask what all writers ask? ^^

 Happy summer,

Omni


	19. Hermione!

The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing! Please don't hurt me . . . well, I do own this story idea and any character you don't recognize, like that little butterfly that was around the café. Don't you remember? Or maybe I didn't put it in. Hmmm.

**Note**: Sorry about the lack of update for the Independence Day weekend. I wasn't happy with the progress of this chapter (six complete revisions, two partial changes and I am still unsatisfied.) My last summer school paper weighted me down. A minimum of 4 pages of the influence of culture on romance . . . Gah! I wasn't mature enough for that analysis.

~*~*~

Chapter Nineteen: Hermione!! 

            Ginny looked at Harry and his female companion. It didn't seem as though Harry wanted to be here. The woman practically dragged him to the restaurant. _But he didn't straight out refuse did he?_ The skeptical part of Ginny's conscience was chattering off again. It was true that Harry's build is much stronger than the lady's. He could easily stand on his two feet and not move anywhere. Besides, it didn't seem like the woman wanted to break her nail pushing the auror.

            "Hello Potter!" Draco called out loudly. "And good afternoon to you, Miss Cardigan." Ginny noticed the blonde had a predatory smile on her sickeningly flawless face. It might have only been Ginny's overheating imagination due to jealousy – her more rational mind finally had some input. Even so, the fact that the woman actually had an expression that seemed like _that_ was not good news.

            "Hello Malfoy!" Harry replied in the same fashion. Ginny smiled and waved. "Oh, hi Ginny. What a surprise to see you two here . . ." Harry trailed off with uncertainty.

            Ginny realized the situation was becoming quite awkward. Here she was, eating desserts with Draco in a more or less romantic environment. But to make things more controversial, Harry was in the same setting with a woman Ginny had a bad vibe about.

            "Would you like to join us?" Draco asked ending the brief moment of everyone glancing from one person to another. Draco led the group to the secluded table. "Excuse me," taking out his wand, he conjured two more chairs to the table. Ginny took her old seat. Draco maneuvered Harry rather forcibly to the seat next to Ginny. He then placed himself between his coworker and the modern Aphrodite making Ginny sit next to the instigator of her jealousy.

            "An introduction please?" Miss Cardigan said as soon as she sat down.

            The demand from the woman made Ginny like her even less. She seemed like the type of woman in the Middle Ages where they were always being taken care of. Servants would wait on her every second of the day. Simple task such as brushing her hair would be done by a servant girl. The man she would marry would be a rich duke or earl, or just a plain businessman, who would make sure she lived a live of luxury.

            "This is Ginny Weasley, a new graduate of studies in journalism," Harry introduced with a smile directed at Ginny. 

"She is also a new member of the writers at the _Daily Prophet_," Draco added. Perhaps doing so only to spite Harry. After all, what's more embarrassing than having someone else know more about one's girlfriend than he knows himself?

"Congratulations Ginny," Harry said with an uneasy smile. So maybe he wasn't as clueless about relationships as he acted.

"But there is more," Draco interrupted with another one of his Malfoy smirks. "She graduated at the top of her class, which earned her extra 500 galleons. I believe she is paying for this sugary treat."

"Great job!" the other two cheered. One sounding uneasy while the other in disdain.

"Okay, enough about me!" Ginny complained. The way Draco was taunting Harry would mean trouble afterwards. "Who is this lovely lady with you today, Harry?" Ginny hoped her own dislike of the woman couldn't be heard in the question.

"Right, this here, would be Annabel Cardigan. A member of the auror's department."

            "I am not actually an auror," Annabel amended with a flirtatious slap on the table and a grin directed only at Harry. "I just help them with the details of their missions and such."

            "They have another project?" Ginny asked with worry. She didn't want anyone leaving the safety of England, not when all three aurors will be in a wedding in July.

            "Unfortunately yes," Harry replied wryly. "Malfoy, it seems as though the person we went after had no clue, at least that is how he acted. Either he is good at lying, or he just doesn't know—"

            "Should we discuss this in front of her?" Annabel Cardigan interrupted while motioning discreetly at Ginny. Ginny had to refrain from sighing noticeably. Miss Cardigan was another one of those freaks at the ministry that believes all writers of newspapers are bad.  
  


            "What's wrong?" Harry said quite miffed that he was interrupted. Ginny was agreeing with his tone whole-heartedly. What was wrong with talking about ministry business in front of her? She had so many friends and relatives working in the ministry that she probably knows more inside information then that blonde woman.

            "She does work for the public media," Annabel replied as though it was the most obvious thing.

            "Very well. I suppose for the sake of secrecy, I'll leave." Ginny got up not wanting to see another second of the woman who was quite visibly clinging on to Harry in a manner that was to intimate. She gathered her coat and bag, but paused before leaving. "Though just for your information. This is a public place. It wouldn't do much for confidentiality if you chose to discuss the mission over a dish of tiramisu."

            Ginny's exit visibly displayed her displeasure at being talked to in a way most people would speak to an ex-criminal. Just because she would write articles that give people information _Annabel _automatically assumed she will tell everything. Who said Ginny was going to write about auror missions anyway?

            Harry had followed her out a few moments later. Just as Ginny was about to disapparate, he called her name aloud.

            "Ginny! Wait." Ginny turned. "Do you have anything planned for the rest of today?" Her eyes narrowed.

            "No, why?"

            "Would you like to have dinner with me? I know we had planned for our own celebration, but the meeting dragged on and then you left." Ginny would have enjoyed putting Harry in the awkward situation had his eyes been more defensive about his feelings. However, the reason Harry caught Ginny's affection in the first place was the same reason she could stay mad at him. 

But, if an infatuation with a physical characteristic were love and trust, Harry would have easily had a dinner date.

            "No thank you. I wouldn't want to pull you away from your meeting with Miss Cardigan," Ginny answered spitting out the blonde's name as though it was poison. "You were already delayed. Besides, your work is important. The safety of England, if not the entire British Isle depends on you doing it correctly. I will not be the reason security is breached!"

            "Ginny, you are exaggerating," Harry said evenly. "Why are you mad?"

            "Why what? I am not mad. I was leaving for the sake of your aurors' little secret remaining secret," Ginny nearly yelled back. "I didn't stomp out or anything. My actions were calm, not close to how I act when I am mad." Harry grabbed her hand in fear of Ginny disappearing with magic.

            Meanwhile, the annoying and formerly skeptical voice in Ginny's head was taunting at millions words per minute._ Right Ginny. Continue to lie to yourself. Tell him that you aren't mad at him. But will he believe you? No, because you are still yelling. Something is bothering you. That's why you yell . . ._

_            That or because of the green monster named Jealousy and the Golden demon named Annabel are making you made. You are jealous, Ginny. Harry was being cozy with Annabel while he said he would be with you._

_            You ought to tell him the exact reason why you are making hiatus in your relationship. For this to actually work, no secrets must be shared. That's how trust builds._

            "Calm down" Harry's voice ended the jumbled lecture from Skeptical. "I know what Annabel said offended you. I am sorry."

            "What is there for you to be sorry for?" Ginny replied wrenching her hand from Harry's grasp. "There is nothing for you to be sorry for. She is the one that made the comment. If someone should apologize, it should be her!"

            "Ginny, fine. She should apologize. But I am also apologize, not just for that." Ginny crossed her arms and waited. "I know we planned for a celebration. Now that Draco is getting the news, I can go with you."

"I had my little celebration," Ginny replied stubbornly, "even if it was with a Malfoy. There is no need for another celebration."

            "Yes there is!" Harry dictated losing his temper finally. "I am your boyfriend. We had planned to celebrate together and we will!" Ginny laughed humorlessly at his little dignified (or undignified) outcry.

            "No, no Harry. I planned the little outing. You had work, I completely understand. I planned without asking you if you were busy. I planned without caring about your obligations. If someone needed to apologize, it would be me. I am sorry Harry. Sorry for not caring whether or not you were able to celebrate with me, sorry for choosing to be a gossip that might ruin the balance of the world." Ginny stomped off for the third time that day.

            "Ginny, come back here!" Harry got a hold of her hand again. "You _are_ mad at me."

            "No Harry, not problem in the world revolves around you. Not every bump in my life is about you," Ginny said softly.

            "I didn't mean it like that," Harry corrected hurriedly. "But you are unhappy about something." He pulled Ginny into a hug. "If it wasn't because I had Annabel taking my time, it must be something else. That was the only thing I knew of that could bother you."

            "Geez Harry, it has nothing to do with you." This time, Ginny pulled herself away and apparated without a second glance.

            She went home, to her living room and cried. Ginny wasn't sure why she was being so emotional. There was nothing to be mad about it. Harry had apologized for not going with her. She was there fifteen minutes early, usually people were supposed to be late. Also, what does what the Cardigan woman said mean to her? They weren't friends, not even acquaintances. Ginny shouldn't care what the woman said. She shouldn't care at all. Besides, Harry didn't care she was going to be a journalist.

            Yet somehow what Cardigan said does matter. Ginny never cared what others have said about her. So many people made fun of her infatuation with Harry; her brothers, classmates, even Harry himself had teased her, or commented on the hero-worshipping as everyone called it. Others also made fun of her family's poverty. There were so many other parts of her life that people disapproved of or poke fun at. She didn't care what the others said. Not until now, when the last of her wish was fulfilled.

            That was what's wrong! Her finally being Harry's girlfriend has caused the change. Their relationship was the one that turned her into an emotional wreck . . .

            "Ginny? Are you in?" Harry's voice permeated through her walls. "Ginny, please. Talk to me. Please don't be mad." He was pleading in the last sentence. The knocking grew harder.

            Ginny wiped her tears and went downstairs to open the door. She didn't care whether or not Harry saw her frizzy hair, tear-stained cheeks, and red eyes. All she knew was Harry Potter caused her mental episode; he must help her fix it.

            "Come in."

            "Oh Ginny," in a rustle of his cloak, Ginny was brought into his warm embrace. "What did I do to you?" Ginny fought the urge to pound him hard and explain to him that he didn't cause all the problems in the world.

            "You did nothing." Harry didn't believe her. "At least nothing direct. Come in and sit down. We need to talk." He obediently followed.

            "Now we talk." Ginny smiled at the memory of finding Harry at her door right before the they had their first meeting to plan the mysterious wedding. She had said the exact same thing. Only it was "Now we plan."

            "First, we need to define our relationship," Ginny began expertly.

            "You know, that _is_ hard to define," Harry answered nervously after a moments thought. "Are we really dating? Or is this something forced upon us by our friends and family?"

            "Good, you get my drift!" Ginny said happily. At least he didn't think she was weird doing so. If it was any other man, they might have dashed out the door as soon as possible or just leave with an owl the next day to apologize.

            "I think we are boyfriend and girlfriend. At least I do hope so."

            "I hope so too," Ginny answered quietly. "Harry, you know I had this crush on you when I was younger. I don't know if you remember Valentine's Day my first year at Hogwarts, but that whole poem dropped my self-esteem to negative degrees. I had never been so embarrassed. That didn't help me act normal in front of you. It was until I was able to push aside the klutzy-ness from the infatuation that I was able to talk to you. Then, I had dated other boys, believing the infatuation was indeed hero-worshipping and the usual star struck reaction girls have when they see their idol." Harry only nodded and motioned for Ginny to continue.

            "Anyway, to make this spiel short, it took me so long to get you to like me that I am quite insecure about myself."

            "You weren't so at the parties. You were quite normal," Harry countered. He looked confused and Ginny wondered whether or not Harry was clueless about women.

            "It's a female thing. Anyhow, the point is I am insecure. We haven't done anything as a couple. You never courted me or took me to dates. The only thing that make us seem like a couple is the announcement at the press conference."

            "I suppose. I did mean to take you out to celebrate, but you disapparated ignoring my pleas," Harry pointed out. Ginny dropped her head down in frustration.

            "See? That's the problem. We already met a slight bump in our relationship and the tunnel end doesn't look so bright."

            "Are you jealous of Annabel Cardigan?" Harry exclaimed suddenly. His eyes were wide as though a supernatural force just enlightened him.

            "Yes." Ginny thumped her head on the nearby hard object, which was the coffee table in front of the couch. "That was what I meant when I said I was insecure."

            "Oh."

            "Oh?" Ginny looked up rubbing her forehead. "That's it?"

            "Well," Harry began shifting under Ginny's gaze. "I don't see why you should be jealous of Annabel. How was I supposed to respond?"

            _He is clueless!_ The skeptical part of Ginny squeaked increasing the pain of her developing migraine.

            "Never mind," Ginny mumbled wishing for an ice bag for her throbbing temple. After crying for fifteen minutes, the area between her eyes was already in pain. With Harry being frustrating, blood rushed to her head even quicker intensifying the hammering headache.

            "So what should we do?" Harry asked. Ginny couldn't refrain from giving him an accusing glare. She was quite sure he was being ignorant now on purpose. "How do we make this relationship work?" 

            "We can't," Ginny answered in a monotone. "How can we when I suffer an insecurity complex?" Harry looked lost. "Let me put it in your word, would you to have a constantly jealous girlfriend?"

            "But you aren't constantly jealous."

            "Good point, but I am insecure." Ginny bit her lips in thought. "Insecurities will eventually turn into jealousy. See? This relationship isn't going to work. I am the girl-next-door who doesn't like the spotlight. Dating you would mean plenty of other women vying for your attention, and quite frankly, I am not the modern woman that just walks up to a man and takes them to dinner. I don't like that type of life."

            "Ginny," Harry began running his fingers through her hair again. It was something that always comforted Ginny and it still does. "You don't have to feel insecure. I'll give you my word that I wouldn't do anything that will hurt you . . ." he had trailed off staring into the air.

            "Oh, I really should have paid attention to Hermione's lessons on how to talk to a girl," Harry continued with a laugh. He turned to look at Ginny in her eyes. "I have liked you, and now I like you a lot. I suppose the reason I needed more courage to face you than Voldemort was because . . . let's just say I am a coward when it comes to rejection."

            "Ah, Cho incident," Ginny answered imitating the misty tone of the Divination professor. Harry laughed at the memory.

            "Yes, definitely that incident." The laughing atmosphere died as emerald eyes lost its happy gleam. "Any way Ginny, I don't want you to feel insecure. I am not sure if I truly, absolutely love you, but it is darn close."

            "You can't do anything about the insecurity!" Ginny rolled her eyes. "Not unless you want to wear a sign that tells all eligible females to back off." Harry looked thoughtful once again.

            "That might be good . . ."

            "Don't even think it! It is my problem that I am insecure. Just give me a bit of time." Just then, a gray ministry owl flew in barely missing Harry's head. He dropped the letter he was carrying before heading out the window in the same breakneck speed. Harry quickly openly the letter.

            "I am so sorry Ginny," Harry said after he finished reading the letter. "My presence is requested at the ministry now. The situation Annabel was debriefing apparent got worse." Ginny merely nodded her head continuously.

            "Shoo, get out. You have a job to do. Don't worry. I'll handle my insecurity. You did mention Hermione helping you out right?" Harry agreed hurriedly. Ginny's waving hands and rapidly moving mouth was making it quite hard for him to give her a goodbye kiss, or even a hug. "Good. I'll talk to her. Maybe she could help me deal with my insecurities." 

            "Good. I am sorry we couldn't celebrate."

"When that get's fixed, I probably will get enough confidence to ask you out," Ginny continued ignoring Harry's apology. "After all, putting a sign that tells women to leave Harry Potter alone is impractical."

"Wait, did you just end our relationship?" Harry exclaimed.

            "Yes," Ginny looked up at him with her head tilted. "I thought we went over that awhile ago. Anyhow, why are you still here? You ought to be at the ministry by now. First of all, I don't want Percy yelling at me. Second of all, I am sure your coworkers would want you there."

            The door was closed in Harry's face leaving the hero stunned. 

~*~ to be continued ~*~

**Omni's Note:**

Considering I have never dated or anything like that, Ginny's fluctuation in her emotions is merely a guess. I figured it must be overwhelming to suddenly date a long time crush that also happens to be an international icon with women plopping at his feet. I suppose the only comfort is that Harry is clueless about that as well. He is still naïve in that aspect. ^^ 

            I know this chapter was jumpy. It could be deemed as one of my worst. Romance isn't my thing and I wonder why I chose to write about this particular lovey-dovey based story. I was supposed to end at the revelation of the bride, but things just kind of went on. For a few weeks, I was tempted to just end it somehow, with the reincarnation of S. Slytherin or something. But alas, reviews kept me going. Now I don't feel deserving of all the good comments. I can tell this was a less than satisfactory chapter.

Thank-Yous 

Rhiain: I hope so too. But then again, how do you knock some sense into his head?

Eclipse: Don't worry about the last comment! I hope I didn't come off as too defensive. Though that is probably difficult in that I am a defensive person. The research paper was okay. 90% isn't that bad, is it? And to think, I got points deducted for not having enough sources. It wasn't my problem that only 2 biographies that were written about Paddy Chayefsky were in the libraries! Well, I just have this newly finished paper to worry about. ^^

Arkaynn: Acky, busy bad. Come to think of it, I haven't had a break even though summer started. And to think, school begins August 13th. Darn, where did the time go?

Lily-Potter: So do I, but my hands and shoulders needed a break. My shoulder injury from swimming was acting up again so I had to stop. *frown* Cliff hangers usually end my train of thought too, I really have to stop doing that.

HopefulTears: I will read your ficcy as soon as I can. For a while, ff.net wouldn't let me on. Grr for the system. And poor you! SAT practice during the summer? Well, at least you can have a better guarantee of having a good score. But actually, colleges tend to care more about AP scores (that what those college representatives told me) since the tests could only be taken once – technically.

Silver Witch: No, don't. Otherwise there will be no Harry for Ginny. And that's bad, right? We could give Ginny Draco, but that probably won't settle well with the rest of the Weasleys . . .

And I think I did read your stories. I think I lost track.

Devil: nice, succinct review. Got the point across. ^^ Don't ask why I am reviewing your review. But thanks for the encouragement.

Loopyloony: Welcome to by odd ship of Harry and Ginny issues! Enjoy the ride, and complain about seasickness (criticism) or lack of better scenery (scenes) whenever you feel like it!

The Dragon Guardian of the Sea: Uh . . . got any more comments now? ^^

Lois: Annabel Cardigan is not the "other" woman. Well, I suppose she could be, but it was just Ginny's nerves making her have assumptions and doubts. Anyhow, thanks for the advice. I'll make sure do that after a few good dates and perhaps ruin a wedding. ^^

Ella Wood: Well, at least Ron is married in this story. Harry is still the free bachelor who just had a relationship ended by an emotionally unstable Ginny.

Hplova4eva: I am trying, but this story is getting really stubborn. There are too many crossroads in the highway of plots and ideas.

Aindel Druida: Yes I had to beg a dog to eat. She won't eat her Pedigree canned food. She had ordered a special combination of human food and processed beef from Pedigree, as well as a side of hardboiled eggs. And well, it isn't the blonde's fault completely. She just has a flirtatious nature that doesn't bode well with girlfriends of her coworkers. You shall see Aurora's reaction, and of course, expert Hermione's judgment in the next chapter. ^^

**One last Newsflash:**

I'll be on a three-week vacation back home, across the pacific in the middle of next week. It would be highly unlikely for me to update anything, but I'll write. My parents have allowed me to carry the laptop with me everywhere, so maybe I'll find a substitute muse while in China. The Buddha statues might enlighten me. The disappointing part is by the time I get adjusted to the U.S. time zone, school starts and there goes my time. This year, I get all 4 AP classes with economics that contains macro and micro . . . another wonderful year. I could tell already.

~Omni

Postscript:

Thank you for putting up with my writing. You have seen my best and my worst in this story so far, I am trying my best to not loose hope. It does get difficult when my expectations rise while my writing skills remain stagnant. 

Anyhow, happy day for everyone and may cool climates come for you while others endure 100 degree heat. ^^

A completely random comment: does anyone know anything about Dreamweaver? I am having my first attempt at creating a website . . .


	20. Sisterly Advice

The Wedding of a Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: Harry Potter's world and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note:

            I think my muse has decided to work after I threatened it with clay statues of buddhas. ^^

~*~*~

Chapter Twenty: Sisterly Advice 

            Ginny went to bed with her head filled with anxiety over the mission and Harry. She knew it did seem mean to suddenly end the relationship, but her emotions were settled. It was hard to expect that actually dating a hero would be more mind boggling than having a crush on him. Hopefully, the break wouldn't distract Harry. That's the last thing Ginny wanted to happen.

            The next morning came with Mimi's squawks requesting for a morning flight while the _Daily Prophet_'s delivery owl was hooting for his payment as well. Ginny got up and finished her usual routine in the bedroom and bathroom. On her way to breakfast, she let Mimi out and gave owl pellets to the delivery owl.

            In the kitchen, Ginny got her orange juice and toast, and began sorting through her morning mail. The wizarding world's newspaper laid on the coffee table with its headline page in plain view.

IS OUR SAFETY IN DANGER AGAIN? Jordan Gillius, Daily Prophet 

_            The famous trio of aurors had an emergency meeting with representative of the International Confederation of Wizards, Minister of Magic and Junior Defense Planner, Annabel Cardigan, concerning the case of the Latin American based radical group who publicly supports the annihilation of the muggle world. It was said the group uses magic to terrorize the muggle world as a deal with men of power in the non-magical world. The auror group consisting of the famous Boy Who Lived, the heir of the Malfoy fortune, and the only female of the group, a witch with an outstanding mix of heritage have been trailing the groups actions since muggle terrorism has been more prominent since the horrific era of He-Must-Not-Be-Named._

_            The meeting discussed future antics the auror department will use to end the progress of the want-to-be Death Eaters. The Trio has planned another mission to be in contact with the headquarters of the radicals to "get to the root of the problem" quoted from Miss Cardigan's debriefing._

_            "We hope this mission will benefit the stability so carefully built after the end of terror marked by You-Know-Who," a representative from the ICW explained. "The muggle government is already strained trying to solve the problems caused by that era, we do not need more pain inflicted on our non-magical neighbors . . ."_

_            Rumor says two member of the trio will make a trip to Latin America to visit the muggle governments to collect clues on the whereabouts of the radicals as well as warn the governments. Aurors of representing different countries of the ICW have already informed nations in the Euro-Asia continent, Oceania, and North America. The muggle governments of Latin American have been the most difficult in trying to negotiate for instability is widespread in the region. The number of coup d'etats is making diplomacy nearly impossible._

_            The ICW believes this breach of the security of magic will prevent another disaster merely a few years ago with the Death Eaters . . ._

            The article continued to explain the legitimacy of telling muggle governments that magic exists and they cohabitate with those who are wizards and witches. Ginny didn't care why it was important. She worried over the Trio that the M.o. M has been so dependent on since the downfall of the Death Eaters and their leader.

            The issue was as significant as Cardigan's tone while warning them of security. Ginny suddenly felt guilty feeling jealous of the blonde and felt foolish for allowing her emotions to make irrational actions. Although the newspaper had said only two of three would be on the mission, Ginny was quite positive all three aurors would participate. The only reason Harry had backed out of the last mission was because of the wedding business. From what she has heard from the newspaper and chats between her ministry-related family and friends, Ginny knew her fears of people getting hurt was reasonable, and expected. After all, the International Confederation of Wizards don't get involved in just anything. With the international coverage, Ginny was certain she would be afraid for her friends. Harry's magnetism for trouble doesn't comfort the redhead one bit.

            Thankfully Ginny wouldn't start her job until the following Monday. She had three days to get used to her newly found freedom. The first act with this liberty was to arrange a bit of time with Harry, but obviously that was butchered.

            _Butchered_. Ginny flinched at her own description of the event. She has seen the desperate look on Harry's face and she knew, no matter how clichéd, she needed to talk to Harry before he sets out for the ministry work across the Atlantic. The situation was becoming uncannily like a romance novel. The couple gets in an argument due to one's insecurities, and then the other must go on a perilous journey. The unsecured one would try to find his or her love, but doesn't succeed. During the search, the insecure partner's doubts on life would be fulfilled for they got kidnapped and the uncertainty of whether or not survival was probable. In the end, the other found find him or her. They kiss passionately and live happily ever after with a boy, a girl, a beautiful house with a yard, and a white picket fence. 

Ginny seriously hoped she would be able to find Harry and not get abducted in the process. She didn't need another episode of her first year where Tom Riddle mesmerized her and took her to the Chamber of Secrets only to have Harry rescue her. The train of thought was broken by a shrill shout from the fireplace.

"Ginny Weasley!" Hermione's fiery head yelled strengthening the flames. "What were you thinking?" Ginny walked by the fireplace knowing Harry probably talked to Hermione about the night before.

"I don't know what I was thinking Hermione," Ginny mumbled, disgruntled.

"Exactly!" the pregnant woman shouted. She was in barely in her second trimester and Ginny hoped Hermione would have gotten used to the hormonal imbalances and was able to control her temper. Unfortunately, the wish was not possible in Hermione's case. Although the bushy haired Gryffindor had a triple digit I.Q., she could not fight the biological wars inside a woman's body. "I thought you wanted the relationship with Harry? Why did you end it? Did you know he would be leaving for another mission with Malfoy and Aurora soon? You know as well as I do that Harry doesn't perform well with a psychological burden. And what you did to him was a psychological burden!"

Ginny allowed Hermione to continue her ramblings on the pettiness of Ginny's actions. So perhaps the role of overprotective best friend outweighed the responsibility of being the role model of the younger sister-in-law.

"Yes Hermione. I knew about the mission. Harry was with me while he got his letter," Ginny answered during the break in which Hermione used to catch her breath. "When will he leave? I probably should talk to him before he goes away . . ."

"Of course you should," Hermione cut in. "You two must fix your problems. Harry mentioned how you felt insecure. Why would you feel that way? It's Harry. He won't do anything outrageous. He isn't Malfoy for goodness sake!"

"I know Hermione," Ginny said mentally telling herself to be patient with the pregnant woman. "So when does he leave?"

"He leaves early tomorrow morning. I believe he is currently in another debrief and will be home in approximately fifteen minutes." Ginny nodded. "Go talk to him Gin," Hermione said once again in a more motherly tone. "If the situation between you and Harry is as bad as what Harry exclaimed it to be, go talk to him to fix it. I didn't wait for you two to finally get together only to split up after a few weeks." A smile was on her face.

"It is rotten luck the issue with the radicals became out of hand now," Hermione added softly when Ginny merely looked downwards. "Don't worry. Harry would love to speak with you right now. I know he is a bit slow when it comes to female matters, but he will eventually get it, unlike your brother. _He_ just nods and complain about feminine enigmas another day."

"Right." That was all Ginny could force out of her mouth coherently.

"Now go talk to Harry." The order was enough to send Ginny in a hurry to get dressed and get out of the house to catch Harry in his house.

"Bye Hermione! I'll talk to you later!" Ginny called as she exited the house. The crackling in the fireplace ended as soon as Ginny stepped out of the door. Hopefully her sister-in-law wouldn't be too offended by Ginny's momentary loss of wits.

Apparating to the front door Harry's house was the easiest task. Definitely easiest with the multitude of security spells and hex that surrounded his humble abode. Ginny had to pass various obstacles in hopes of seeing his front door. Now that she was there and the adrenaline rush dissipating, the fear and the doubts quickly replaced the effect of the epinephrine hormone.

"Ginny?" Harry exclaimed visibly surprised, or shaken when he opened the door. Ginny's hand was frozen the doorbell. She hadn't even touched it, how could he know she was there already? Harry noticed the confused expression on Ginny's face. "My security system told me someone was outside my door."

"The doorbell?" Ginny questioned not moving a muscle. He hand was still hovering near the little button.

"It's for any muggle visitors." Ginny nodded although she was still baffled. "Come on in." Harry moved out of the doorway to allow Ginny's entrance. He combed his hair with his fingers the way he acted when he was nervous or unsettled. The young Weasley pleaded for the Gryffindor courage she supposedly had to return from their vacation since she arrived at the front door of Harry Potter's house. "Would you like some tea?"

Ginny snapped out of her witlessness and straightened her frame. Slouching has been her habit of comfort when all of her courage fails her.

"Harry," Ginny began, but she continued with a series of goldfish exercises. It was probably a good thing all Harry answered was an "hmm" and continued his search for tea, hot water, teapot, and teacups.

"Ahah!" Harry shouted looking up from a bottom cabinet. "I found them!" A set of rather feminine porcelain tea set levitated out. "You don't mind tea, do you?"

"No," Ginny muttered shaking her head. "Tea is fine. Any thing is fine."

Sounds of magically boiling water and his searching for his tea leaves took up the silence that would otherwise be there for Ginny hasn't succeeded in gathering her courage, her brain, and anything else she needed to confront Harry. What she wanted to tell Harry in the first place was misplaced in her jumble of doubts and fears. The clanging of an auror exploring his kitchen was a compatible noise to Ginny's mind suddenly remembering she had forgotten her purpose of coming, or rather she was subconsciously backing out from her original resolve.

Okay Ginny, what were you thinking? Did you really want to walk over to Harry's and tell him you want him back? For one, your pride probably doesn't stand a chance. Even if Harry takes you back, my evil-half, Miss Skepticism would tell you how he took you back merely out of pity. You do seem pitiable right now, I mean, who would have their hands shake so hard while the host is trying to make tea?

_Besides, the other option would be rejection. There are plenty of other women who would love be in your position before you broke off the relationship of with Harry. Yes, you only wanted a break, but do you really expect Harry, or any other men for that matter, to understand a break was a break, not breaking off the relationship completely. This is almost like a divorce and living separately for married couples._

I'll be nice to your nerves and help you decide what to talk to Harry about. How you will speak to him? That is for the verbal part of your brain to decide. First of all, you should tell him about the mission. Not really asking him whether or not he could tell you what it was about, but more of wondering about his safety as well as the safety of Aurora and unfortunately Draco. (He is getting much better though.) It is reasonable for you to worry about your friends. Besides, remember the wedding? The bride and groom, as well as the second special couple: the best man and the maid of honor are needed for the wedding go on. Who will be there for the rehearsals and the actual event if the mission drags on too long? Lastly, ask him how to keep in touch. Maybe than, you won't seem so callous about yesterday's behavior.

Ginny frowned at the last comment from her inner musings. She was not callous, just a little but confused about the overwhelming collage of feelings she felt in such a short time.

"Ginny?" Harry asked with the sugar box in his left hand. "1 cube of sugar and a cup of cream right?" Ginny nodded. The black haired auror mixed the tea and placed it on a platter to carry the set to where Ginny was. His kitchen actually shared with a larger dinning room/small drawing room. Only a counter divided the two areas.

"Here let me help." Harry's ability to balance large plate-like objects apparently did not improve with the lithe and agility training requested for the aurors. Although his footsteps could be as light as a feather when needed, the teapot and teacups were spewing out a liquid of coppery green. "I think you might have put too much tea in there," Ginny noted with a smile. The clumsy Harry was once she could handle. It was the famous Harry Potter that she couldn't deal with. The fame and the memories of the deeds he performed throughout his life made his presence quite intimidating to the youngest and only daughter of a family of seven children.

"Right," Harry mumbled with a light blush. Ginny noticed the pink tinge on his cheeks with a small boost of self-confidence. At least she was not the only one in the room that was uncomfortable, albeit the boost of self-confidence did make Ginny feel guilty.

"Harry," Ginny began again once they were seated and sipped their drinks. "I read from the _Daily Prophet_ that you and another third of the Trio will be leaving on a diplomatic mission soon. Hermione told me you will leave tomorrow morning."

"Right," he said again. "The mission Aurora and Draco went got us more information. We realized the crisis was much bigger than anticipated. It seems as though the radicals wanted to unite all wizards and witches skeptical of cohabitation with the muggles. If the group actually succeeds in gathering support, the International Confederation of Wizards would have a tougher time settling issues."

"Why do we need to tell the muggle government anything?" Ginny questioned unable to restrain her skepticism. "We were able to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters without notifying the muggles."

"But Sirius's escape was publicized in both worlds," Harry rebutted darkly.

"I suppose . . ."

"I know you didn't come here to talk about the bad decisions made by the ICW or the ministry," Harry commented after a brief period of silence. Ginny nearly jumped out of her seat.

"I just worry about you," Ginny said playing with her teacup. "The article made everything sound so much more dangerous than the rest of your missions with that ominous title. 'Is Our Safety in Danger' makes me wonder how much trouble the aurors involved will be in." Harry expelled a long breath.

"It actually might be as ominous as the title seems," Harry explained after another silence. "You know I can't give you the details, but all three of us are going. A representative from the ICW asked us whether or not we each have what the muggles call a life insurance policy. Basically those who are close to us get monetary assistance when we die." Ginny's face dropped. Images of dismembered parts belonging to her friends and blood all over their bodies filled her vision. Unknowingly, Ginny's eyes began to water.

"Please don't cry," Harry mumbled caressing her head much like what he did the night before. "It won't be too bad." At the sound of Harry's words, Ginny actually cried harder. She noticed Harry taking her into his arms. "No one can stand Malfoy's smirks and glares. I am sure the looks could help us persuade people forcibly. Aurora is good at being the cute angel. She probably can charm her way into people's hearts. And me, well, I suppose I could smile and puppy-eye my way around the Latin Americans." Ginny attempted to smile.

"I suppose your puppy-eyes might work. What if dueling is involved? I know you three are among the best, but you even told me dealing with criminals usually mean the opponents playing dirty."

"We are trained for that," Harry comforted with a bright smile. "And remember, I was the best in my year for Defense Against Dark Arts."

"What will you be doing exactly? There are only so many disguises you three can hide behind." Ginny wanted to know everything, or at least as much as possible so she could be reasonable when her mind wanders to all the possible bad endings.

"Well, we haven't decided yet," Ginny looked up at the same time Harry looked down. Her head made a loud contact with his jaw, which was snapped shut. Harry rubbed his chin while a grin. "We have to be in some sort of tied relationship with two men and a woman. I suppose we could have a brother-sister-boyfriend combination. Or a father-daughter-brother or –boyfriend relationship; none of us wants to endure a gender changing potion. I could be Aurora's boyfriend. That will set Malfoy on fire. That or have Aurora be the mother of Malfoy and I. At least that way, they won't be sickeningly sweet to each other. If I hadn't know them, I would have never thought Slytherins could be so touchy-feely."

"Oh I can empathize with that. Remember Aurora's birthday party? The elaborate one where Malfoy was trying to get in her good graces?" Harry laughed. They reminisced about Hogwarts and memories shortly after their graduation for the next hour.

"Anyway, I can't comfort you by telling you exactly what we will be doing," Harry sobered after a long laugh. "I can't divulge anymore information."

"Or you will have to kill me," Ginny kidded with a smile hoping to bring the laughing air back. Their eyes met and Ginny felt like she was in a romance fiction, usually, the moment would result in the couple kissing. A jingling sound from the door interrupted the staring spell.

"That must be Sirius and Remus." Harry made a face at the prospect of meeting his guardians when he was young, or the fact that his chance at kissing Ginny was interrupted. "I think I may be receiving another paternal lecture on how to remain safe and out of trouble. You know how effective that was."

"Please try to be safe though," Ginny implored softly. "I don't think I could ever deal with you getting hurt or . . . or _killed_ doing your work . . . I-it's just so dangerous." Ginny was on the verge of tears again. Her private time with Harry was almost over and she still couldn't gather up her courage to say she really cares about him, much more than a friend, perhaps even close to love.  Love was too emotionally deep, if she admitted to herself that she was falling in love with Harry, dealing with departures of missions would be so much more difficult.

But Ginny knew deep in her heart that she was quite close to being in love with Harry. Any more time spent with him would guarantee the location of her heart. Ginny's laughed wryly in her head. It was quite depressing how her time of self-discovery that should bring her joy might cause her endless pain. The uncertainty during the discovery portion made her loose her wits and request for time alone. Now that she knew she needed Harry by her side, he was sent across the Atlantic saving the world once again. It was ironic, really.

"Well, I suppose I should go." Ginny wiped the collected tears in her eyes and look down with a blush. Harry quickly got up just as Ginny rose from her seat. He walked her silently to the door. Both were emerged in their own thoughts.

"Wait," Harry said so softly Ginny could barely hear him. The redhead stopped and looked at him inquiringly. In two rapid steps, he gathered Ginny in his arms and gave a surprisingly quick, but passionate kiss. "I am not sorry," he murmured in Ginny's hair. "I know you wanted time to think, but I just couldn't resist." Ginny looked up to see a childish smile on his face.

"Good, but that isn't something Harry Potter would do." Harry now had an embarrassed grin.

"Well, Draco Malfoy decided to interfere with my private life." Ginny quirked a delicate eyebrow, _how close was Harry and Draco, exactly?_ "And Hermione too. She actually agreed with him, otherwise I wouldn't follow the advice of a Slytherin." Ginny shook her head. It seems prejudice between the two houses would not be an easy thing to ease away. The doorbell rang signaling the two impatient adults waiting outside his door.

"Ah, reasons number two I have a doorbell. For when a certain Virginia Weasley distracts me." The cheeky comment earned him a smack on the shoulder and a beet red Ginny. Harry opened the door with a laugh. "Hello Sirius, Remus!"

"Hello Harry, Ginny," the two adults replied.

"Well, I'll be off then," Ginny declared with a happy-go-lucky skip down the doorstep. "Be safe Harry, else you might find me chasing you with a mob of crying fans at St. Mungos!"

            Ginny left the Harry's house with a Sirius from comment ringing in her head. _Just like your father, a smile from a redhead and you are problem-free  . . ._

~*~*~

**Omni's Note**: There, another chapter done! See? I haven't been lazy . . . I am quite giddy. Took my timed writing test and I am free for the rest of the summer. Well, supposedly, but being the overachiever, I will worry about my grades until the end of time. ^^ Hopefully this was a satisfactory chapter. I had a few hard-to-write parts, but hopefully I have smoothed them over.

**Notes of Thanks:**

Eclipse: I have gotten you HOOKED? Okay . . . well, sorry? The vacation was planned by the family, I can't really postponed or anything. Well, if I get Internet access and I have a new chapter, I'll try to update. Deal?

Silver Witch: Goody, the jealousy and emotional instability weren't improbable. I had to wing that part. I'll have a travel journal, if it comforts you. Once I get the website thingy working, I'll post pictures and my weird commentary to share the trip. Then when you go to China, you'll know where to go. ^^ And thank you for the stars; I like them quite a lot!

HopefulTears: It still is H/G . . . now I am confused. Anyhow, the short and choppy versions would be Ginny is not too sure of the relationship. She wanted a break. The dating thing is on hold. That's about it . . . and I _know _I am unworthy. ^^

Hplova4eva: Somehow I get the feeling you will always be the succinct one. =P But it pleases me nonetheless. ^^

GrednForge: I know they are, hence why there is not third person. It was all Ginny's imagination. I mean, who wouldn't be intimidated by dating some international hero? I do like your name!

Rhiain: Something hard . . . that could be arranged. ^^ Thanks for the motivation. I think this must be a new record, two chapters in one week.

Avalon: Thank you. I'll try to have fun. Torturing cousins would be a wonderful pastime. And the jumpiness, I hope it is better in this chapter. Although, the little voice in my head doesn't quite agree.

Loopyloony: Is a chapter later soon enough? I know they are really back together because Harry is going to be across the ocean, but still. They kissed, isn't that sufficient?

Arkaynn: Eh . . . I knew it was evil of me, but hey. For the sake of the story! ^^ As for talking to oneself, I have been told too many time that it isn't healthy. Also, I have mastered the art of talking to my head while someone else is speaking to me, which is why Ginny has been doing it a lot. Not that she is based on me, I would never hold a crush for that long nor even have a crush. 

Flute Kahlan Solo Fel: I wouldn't say James was clueless. He knew he like Lily and wasn't afraid to ask her out. But on the topic of being nice to women, I guess the father and the son is on the same tier. ^^

Aindel Druida: Well, I haven't figured that out yet, so I guess I won't be ending this story that way! ^^ Thank you for asking your dad and your welcome about the suggestions. I hope the story goes well for you. Blessed Be is an interesting idea. ^^

Ella Wood: Nope, it hasn't given me a nervous breakdown yet. I probably will get one two months into school when starting classes at 7:00 am gives a headache. ^^

The Dragon Guardian of the Sea: You got that right, only it wasn't a café. More of a restaurant that only serves desserts, kind of like Beyond Bread. Anyhow, the one about the fat, anorexic alien . . . cute oxymoron!

_Well, thanks for all your comments. They have really brightened my day, especially after that horrifying timed-writing. My grade depends on what I get on it. Don't you hate it when the professors proportion assignments so that the final exam affects the overall grade?_

_Anyhow, love the reviews and wouldn't mind to see them often! ^^_

_With lots of smiles, hugs, and loves,_

_Omni_


	21. Grumpy

The Wedding of a Boy Hero

Disclaimer: Own nada . . .

~*~*~

Chapter Twenty-One: Grumpy

            He kissed me . . . he kissed me . . . he kissed ME! 

It had been a nice reconciliation with Harry. Ginny was extremely satisfied with the outcome. A small curve of her lips accompanied her walk home, but that small smile quickly got wider. 

_Oh, how soft those lips were and the gentleness combined with a bit of command. That was so sweet._

Ginny giggled at the memory. Her wide smile remained on her face from the trip home to lunch to dinner to falling asleep. She actually woke up with the smile . . . and a smile for breakfast . . . and a smile for relatives who chose to interrupt her lovely meal with a side dish of reminiscing the past day's events. Hermione had another fiery message for Ginny during her breakfast. Harry had forgotten to ask Ginny if she would housesit for him. Of course, Ginny happily accepted. Her thoughts were giddy with the prospect of being near everything Harry.

            A flashback of her childish obsession about Harry brought a flaming blush on the redhead's face. It was after Harry's first visit at the Burrow, Ginny was still star struck about Harry. It was normal fanatical action where the fan wants to keep anything the paradigm touches. Thankfully Ginny was over that stage of the infatuation. If she were still that obsessive, she just might die from happiness upon the thought of spending at least a months in Harry's house.

            Ginny had gotten Harry's house keys at Ron and Hermione's house. Hermione was in a second trimester of pregnancy and she was at the point of extra energy. The couple took that time to start remodeling the house. A little nursery was being built for the coming baby. That was the reason why Harry's house needed housesitting. It was usually Ron or Hermione who took care of the house when Harry had to perform his auror duties.

            Entering the house, Ginny wanted to squeal in girlish perkiness. The modernly decorated house was for her to take care of. A letter of instructions was on the kitchen counter. The handwriting was definitely Harry's; it was sophisticated kind of chicken scratch, like the handwriting of a hurried, educationally advanced person.

_Dear Ginny,_

_            I would like to thank you for taking care of my house for me. From what the mission information said, I will be gone for at least two months. If Aurora's flirting techniques improve, we might be able to return to London in less than the eight weeks. From what we know, we'll mainly be dealing with men. Most of our hope lies with our female companion charming the males, not by magic, but by her feminine charms. Somehow the task seems impossible . . . not only because Aurora cannot flirt, I don't think Malfoy likes to see other man staring at his fiancée with a predatory look._

_Here are the household duties:_

_            Hedwig has found a way to open the cage door. Also, she usually likes to have a flight early morning, so don't worry when she disappears. She always comes around around nine._

_There will be some kneazles visiting the house on Tuesdays. They like to take a break from the meals of their owners. Just feed them the breakfast grains. For some odd reason, the kneazles like the cereal in milk._

_            The plants should be easy. There are notes stuck on the pot to tell you how much water each plant needs. They shouldn't have any dangerous qualities. They are just leafy plants to bring some nature in the room._

_            As for housecleaning, I have a maid to do help. Her name is Helen. She comes every other Monday to clean the floor, vacuum the rooms, and such. Since you are probably tidier than me, she will love you._

_            That should be all. My house isn't that complicated to keep an eye on. The security spells have been adjusted to you being the master. The door will open at your bidding so you can bring your friends to here._

_            If you haven't noticed, my house is very close to the office of the _Daily Prophet_. You just walk towards the building and you'll arrive there in less than 10 minutes. Perfect place for the massive number of interviews, right?_

_            Once again, I want to apologize for not telling you this while you were here yesterday. I got a little distracted._

_Sincerely, with affection,_

Harry 

            Taking care of Harry's house was not an intimidating task. Hedwig and Mimi became close friends therefore making Ginny's pet-sitting job much easier. There were no owl feathers to cleanup after a fight. The month since Harry had left was an ordinary months with the added responsibility of being a reporter at the British wizarding world's most popular newspaper.

            The housekeeper was a nineteen-year-old girl working to pay for tuition for her additional studies. Since Ginny was only a junior reporter, her job was pretty much a part time job. The only responsibility was her column, but she didn't need an article everyday. Her column would only be on the Friday editions. The other advantage is that Ginny could write about whatever she wanted. The editors had specifically told her to not include worldwide issues. It was supposed to be a column of non-seriousness. One of the suggestions was to write about tips of planning a successful wedding . . .

            Ginny was quite unhappy with the turn of events. She now had doubts about whether or not her writing skills were good enough. Did the editors choose her for her talent or for her contacts with various famous people? Ginny didn't want to think that her hobby of planning glamorous events earned her a seat among the reporters of the _Daily Prophet_. If she wrote about the weddings she was planning, it would make her seem like she was a tabloid writer.

~*~*~

            It was supposed to be the third visit from the maid. Ginny was anticipating the arrival of the girl since they began an exchange of desserts on every visit. For this Monday, Ginny wanted the younger girl to taste the Ginny Weasley's Lemon-Lime Meringue Pie. The doorbell rang at 10:00 am sharp. Ginny giddily ran towards the door to meet her friend.

            "Hello!" Ginny exclaimed with a smile while opening the door. The expected visitor was too tall and bulky to be a nineteen-year-old girl. "I suppose you are Helen's substitute?" Ginny asked with uncertainty. The man looked more like a bodyguard than a maid.

            "Yes," the visitor outside answered with thickly accented English. Ginny was hoping for a more explicit answer, but seeing the man was not going to say more, she widened the door slowly. The male maid, or more politically correctly, the male housekeeper entered the house with a thump from his large feet. He was wearing a white apron with the necessary accessories needed to clean the house by his side.

            "Well, I'll just be in the kitchen," Ginny declared with a shaky voice. The man was looking around the house like some inspector. "I am baking a meringue pie. Would you like some?" The human version of Hagrid nodded with a smile that showed all of his yellow, crooked teeth. The yellowy whites did not reassure the friendliness of the new housekeeper.

            When the pie came out of the oven, Ginny took out a slice, but it on the plate and left it on the kitchen counter. She then made her way to the living room and began drafting the next article for her column. The heavy footfalls of the nameless cleaner went to the kitchen. Ginny smiled at the thought of him getting a piece of the pie to taste. It would be a nice reward for him.

But the thumping of his feet seemed like the drum beats of the ominous music of cheesy horror movies. The reminder unsettled Ginny's nerves. There was a person who seemed barely more social and friendly than a Hippogriff. Having seen only a few poorly made muggle films in Muggle Studies, Ginny was still quite certain the Frankenstein-ish man would be a perfect antagonist. After all, having a stranger in a moderately large house with a relatively unarmed woman qualifies as a typical horror scene.

The morbid thoughts chilled Ginny and she quietly made her way to the guest room to get her wand. Before she could question her own sanity in having thoughts of a serial killer in the house or the logic of quite conspicuously getting her wand, blackness filled her vision as a her head felt like it was being split into two.

~*~*~

            Ginny didn't feel like opening her eyes. Her head was throbbing like all the blood decided to rush to there and the crimson liquid was in a rush to get out. Opening her eyes would feel like letting the blood rush out.

            _I am probably upside down .  .  . Who in the world  would hang their prisoner upside down?_

            The redhead gingerly moved her hands. She noticed she was in fact, hanging from her feet. Her hands were in an uncomfortable position of below her head. She attempted to lift her hand, but unfortunately, she was not flexible. The extent of her flexibility was touching the palms of her hands on the ground when bending over. She would fail any other flexibility test.

            "Hey, she is moving!" a gruff accented voice observed. "Didn't you stun her?"

            "No, I've told you. I used a dictionary," answered the voice belonging to the evil housecleaner.

"Why would you do that when you have a perfectly fine wand with you?"

"I didn't have my wand. Who needs a wand to do house work?"

"You used something called magic to help you clean the house!"

The pointless conversation dragged. Ginny was quite happy that the two dunderheads were too engrossed in their own conversation to notice she was trying to escape. Everything would have been much easier if she wasn't upside down. But then again, if she were on her feet, they probably would have been paying more attention to her or have stunned her.

            A wooden stick was lying on the lone table in the dimly lighted room. Blinking her eyes to adjust to the dark, Ginny could see well enough to know that wand was hers.

            "Hello Miss Weasley!" a British accented voice said from behind. Ginny attempted to swing her body around to face the speaker. "No need to move. I'll relocate so you can see me better." The shadows indicated the person had done as he said.

            Ginny looked up, to see the British member of her kidnapping gang. From what light the room had, Ginny could tell the man had blonde hair and the way the light bounced off his eyes made them glow. He seemed as though he was a little over six feet, but her perception of heights was probably inaccurate since she was hanging upside down.

            "Could you let me stand on my feet rather than be hanging from it?" Ginny requested not really caring that she was the prisoner and that prisoners usually don't get what they request unless their lifespan was going to be cut short. The British man laughed heartily. He waved his hand and the two dunderheads came stomping over. Their large hands did not reassure Ginny whether or not she would fall on her head. After all, she didn't say if she wanted a soft landing or a head-on collision with the ground.

            Like typical criminals, they chose the loophole in Ginny's request. She had no support so if she didn't prepare for a hard landing, she was quite sure she would have been unconscious again from being hit on the head by something hard.

            "Nice save." Ginny got up and glared at the blonde man. "You must wonder why we decided to kidnap you." Ginny rolled her eyes. The adrenaline from saving herself was still in her veins and the more sensible part of her was drowned by the annoyance.

            "Of course I am wondering why I was kidnapped," she snapped back. "Don't most hostages wonder about that?" The blonde man chuckled again.

            "That tongue and cheek attitude will get you in trouble." Ginny merely glared. There were a number of things that hindered the common sense in the redhead. She didn't want to be kidnapped ever again after the Riddle incident. Harry's house was left without a person to keep an eye on it. She still needed to get her draft for her column done. And the fact that she had been hanging upside down with blood rushing to her already throbbing head.

            "At the risk of sounding clichéd, my kidnapping won't go unnoticed." Ginny glared at the three men. "I have a job at the _Daily Prophet_. My weekly column would lack articles, so people are bound to notice something."

            "Of course we knew that," the British man answered smoothly. "You also have a rather large family. I would hope they would get worried about their youngest child/sister and aunt." That was true, so the kidnappers probably wanted to get attention anyway.

            "Am I being held for a ransom?" The Brit chuckled once again. At least he was a good-humored criminal. His patience might last through all the questions and snappy comments Ginny knew she could not hold back.

            "No, no, definitely not for a ransom. I have quite enough money, thank you." Ginny was quite confused now. What did she do that made people want to kidnap her? The man must have understood the thoughtful look on her face. "Miss Weasley, as you know, you are our prisoner. You do not need to know the purpose of your containment. Sooner or later, you will find out."

            "Just not now." The man nodded. A few minutes of silence, on Ginny's part, passed. The kidnappers were speaking to each other silently. "Excuse me? Would you tell me your name at least?" The three men looked at her as though she was quite stupid. "Even an alias would be fine. I could even make one up for you." The blank look on her capturers face didn't go away. "Alright. You are Stupid and Idiot," Ginny said christening the two bulky men. The bodyguard-ish maid was named Stupid for hitting someone in the head with a dictionary when a stunning spell was easier was a stupid thing to do. The two men looked at Ginny, rather offended. Ginny shrugged, but the action made her aware of the throbbing pain on the back of her head.

            "What will you name, Miss Weasley?" Ginny shook her thoughts away from her aching head. She answered without much thought or assessment.

            "You'll be Grumpy . . . For you have made me rather cranky."

~*~ to be continued ~*~

Thank You's 

Littlegoober: Thanks! Though I am somewhat incapable of doing much since my brain cells are scattered in different time zones. ^^ Don't you love transoceanic flights?

Loopyloony: Yay! You're hooked. You know, my teachers always told me hooks were the most important thing in presentations of any kind. =P

Eclipse: Eh, the deal didn't work too well. Internet access costs 3 yuan per hour. Even if I use it for 15 minutes, I still have to pay 3 yuan. Not to mention the initiation fee and such. I did end up using broadband at my grandparents' house, but they got everything setup the day before I had to leave. Basically, sorry about the lack of updates.

Hplova4eva: Still the ever succinct one . . . ^^

Nimacu: Oh goody, I was hoping I would be less likely to sent people to the psychiatry ward. Yes, I am that confusing . . . even in real life events. ^^

Arkaynn: Hmm, because I am still wriggly about writing about action? Is that a good enough reason? I'll to try work on it though the twitchiness won't go away. *sniffle, I need fluff help*

Aindel Druida: Thanks. That was encouraging. Though to read that when school is so near kind of lessens the positive effect. Oh crap, what was I thinking when I signed up for zero hour?! Just kidding, I am not regretting anything. ^^ Can you believe the changed my schedule so that I had English right after Physics? I don't handle timed writing very well at 8:00 in the morning . . . Anyhow, the China trip was great and tiring. I got a weird case of stomach flu (couldn't handle the food) instead of SARS. The country announced it was "free" of SARS near my arrival. I lost nearly 10 pounds due to that icky stomach flu. Got everyone worried, but that was really funny.

HopefulTears: Tis fine! No one has to say much. ^^ And take your time about some things. I learned that the hard way . . . bumped into way too many objects.

Sum1special: Thank you! But this is as soon as I could get myself to update. Sorry

Female Fred: I figured one way of remembering him is to keep writing about him. Just writing about the exploits of the Marauders kind of justifies his existence. Besides, I have this theory that someone is hiding a magical painting of Sirius. All they need to do is share the art and let all of us enjoy Sirius commentary.

Silver Witch: Thank you! I wouldn't say all of my writings were good. You just haven't seen the ones I deleted. I'll search for your update!

Ron Weasley: Thank you for reviewing nearly all the chapters. It must have taken quite a lot of time to read them all. As for being confused, I got lots of reviews saying, "I am confused". It is an aspect of my writing that I have to work on. ^^

Corrie: Thanks! I am working on it. While I was on vacation, I was able to work out the last major twist. So half a chapter is already written. ^^

Rhain: I am not sure about Harry yet, but let's hope Ginny's safe.

_As for the promised pictures of my trip back to China, some of them will be at my website (still no there yet). Go to the photo album link. Due to the fact that I took lots of high-resolution pictures, I will host most of the photo album in my Yahoo! Photos account. Just click on the links to see the pictures. ^^_

_Happy day,_

_Omni (1 given to me by ff.net. I think I am going to scrounge around for another name…)_


	22. Hello Friend

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I own nada!

~*~*~

**Hello _Friend_**

            The following weeks were rather boring for Ginny. She was in some windowless room, probably a basement somewhere, with nothing to do. She couldn't write since she didn't have any thing to write with or write on. There weren't even rocks that she could use to draw or make rocky mosaics with.

            None of the kidnappers kept her company either. They had her wand, so Ginny had no possible means of escape. By the end of the first week, Ginny got to the point of wishing to have her wand so someone would keep an eye on her. At least then, she would be able to talk to a person instead of the wall. But of course, having her wand would mean she would be able to apparate out. She had seen the Grumpy apparate in and out. He would bring food from the outside, which tasted absolutely horrid. All she needed was a kitchen and she could make better tasting food; she won't even need her wand.

            "Excuse me, I am quite bored," Ginny complained for the umpteenth time that day. Like the response for the other complaints, no one responded. Ginny was certain her kidnappers had gotten sick of her cheeky attitude the first day. "Please, let me do something. A stack of Exploding Snaps would even be wonderful. And you don't have to play with me either!" the Dumb Twins just ignored her. She had seen them pull something out of their ears before, so it was highly likely that the two bulky men had stuffed wax in their ears.

            "Miss Weasley!" the stern voice of Grumpy chastised. "Will you please mope like a good prisoner?" Ginny rolled her eyes. Her imprisonment was far from typical, starting with her first moments at her prison room. Who would hang the person they kidnap upside down with their wand in plain view? But Ginny didn't object to her atypical type of treatment. The usual treatment would mean she wouldn't have her rather large space to move in and the speaking privilege she had to annoy people for entertainment.

            Rolling her eyes was all Ginny could do to stay in relative good graces with her capturers. Nearly a month had already passed but Ginny still had no clue why she was kidnapped. No news of people searching for her was the topic of chitchats between the capturers. Her kidnapping was neither an adventure nor a newsflash, apparently . . .

            Deciding to continue her game of immaturity, Ginny trudged her way to the designated corner of the three-year-old timeout area. The clicking of stilettos shattered the silence in the room.

            Ginny paused. Her group of kidnappers did not consist of any females. Unless one of the idiots was actually a cross dresser in disguise, Ginny was about to meet another member of her abduction team.

            "Hello Robert!" The bell-like voice was painfully familiar. Didn't it belong to an overly flirtatious blonde whose voluptuous personality, if there was such a thing, drove Ginny crazy?

            "My dear Annie!" Grumpy, also known as Robert, exclaimed. Right, Annabel Cardigan. Ginny knew that woman was up to no good from the moment she saw Annabel standing in too close to Harry. Instead of continuing her walk to her time-out corner, Ginny turned to observe the welcoming of Miss Cardigan.

            "So you've got her?" Annabel asked, giddiness obvious in her tone. Grumpy nodded, which was followed by a feminine giggle. "Now I'll have the most eligible man and a spectacular wedding."

            Ginny pulled a face at the woman's proclamation. So was she kidnapped for the sole purpose of planning a wedding? Or did the reason also include stealing Harry? It wouldn't make sense to steal Harry from her if she was going to plan the forsaken wedding. The event planner and her employer need constant communication. It was possible to only talk to Annabel, but enraging the wedding planner by stealing her boyfriend probably doesn't make the process easy nor would it ensure an award-winning wedding.

            "Miss Weasley!" Grumpy called. Ginny sighed rather loudly with resolution. She was going to be the stubborn goat and be uncooperative.

            "What Grumpy?" she answered not moving at all.

            "Come out of here!" the man exclaimed impatiently. "I have someone you might was to meet." Ginny figured she probably should obey so she could at least be out of the dark, so to speak, on the reason of her abduction. She walked into the lighted area but did not join Grumpy and Annabel. To Ginny's shock, the two blondes looked remarkably alike.

            Her surprise wasn't hid well since both blondes noted her gaping mouth with a condescending smirk.

            "Hello Ginny," Annabel greeted. "Long time no see." Ginny didn't respond. "You know, the outside world just hasn't been chaotic about your absence. You've got the heart of the Boy Who Lived and the hearts of so many Britons, yet they have done nothing about your lack of existence." Annabel tsked with mock pity. "I don't think they miss your column either."

            Ginny narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Good to see you too, Miss Cardigan," Ginny replied sarcastically. "And I suppose the lack of popularity in my column was due to the fact that a writer of less than amateur level has replaced me," Ginny accused, taking a shot in the dark about why no one noticed her absence. Perhaps the lack of communication between her and her family was not so much a good thing. Ginny actually missed the old restricted living, but at least her relatives knew where she was and could come to her aid at any given moment. The other woman just laughed at the accusation, neither defending herself nor admitting the guilt.

            "Why do you despise me so? I am no competition to you. Fortunately for you, Harry Potter does not fit my taste. It is another that I wish for, and one that I will have." So the wench wants Malfoy. That is, if her definition of the most eligible man coincide with the definition of the masses, or the media. Ginny's eyes bulged.

            "Yes, it is a pity that he had his eyes set on that plain girl. A name like Aurora is wasted on face such as hers."

            _Okay Ginny, breath. They probably want me to plan the wonderful wedding. I am not sure how Miss Cardigan was planning on ending Aurora and Draco's engagement, but even if she gets past that point, I will not plan their wedding. Nope, people will probably see me comforting my best friend rather than organizing a spectacular event for the cow that stole someone else's man._

            "You admitted yourself that Draco Malfoy has his eyes set on Aurora Classen," Ginny pointed out, hoping to get more information about her plan. "You know how stubborn Malfoy is, you work with him, sometimes." The aloof smile on Annabel's face felt to Ginny's glee. "Besides, you also work with Aurora and know her personality rather well. She's not about to give in without a fight." By now, the blonde woman was scowling at Ginny. But that didn't unfaze her at all, in fact, Ginny enjoyed taunting the woman. "Oh, but we do forget that Malfoy doesn't like feeling like a prize to be won."

            It wasn't unpredictable for Annabel to levitate the nearby table and attempt to throw it at Ginny. Considering the young Weasley didn't have her wand, all she could do what duck. After the first throw, the table was broken into many pieces in which Annabel chucked at Ginny piece by piece.

            "Shut your trap, Weasley!" Annabel exclaimed while continuing her tantrum. Even while the table pieces were shattered to splinters, the woman didn't stop. Some how Ginny's taunting about Annabel's lack of favor, at least romantically, in the eyes of Draco Malfoy pinched a nerve.

            "Careful Annie," Grumpy interrupted finally. "You and I both know that this girl has more connections to the ministry than our family put together!" The man had somehow made his way over to the lunatic managed to contain her in a body lock. Ginny cautiously relaxed her muscles. Any more abuse by keeping alert would have her sore for at least three days. "We may have been able to cover for her absence now, but we can't very well replace a dead person."

            "Thank you," Ginny replied automatically. Good to know her family's new status in the wizarding world was going to help her live.

            For the safety of everyone enclosed in the room somewhere on earth, Grumpy had taken Annabel away from Ginny and the two idiots. Away meaning the little sector of space that doesn't directly connect to the underground cave, the little room right above the stairs.

            Ginny was kept company by the Dumb Twins while the blondes went upstairs for a quick chat. It wasn't long before Ginny's two _companions_ were called up. The murmurs and grunts of approval were obviously about the next plan of action. Ginny tiptoed closer to the short staircase. The end of the order giving was marked by heavy footfalls of, most likely, the Dumb Twins getting fainter.

            "I am going to get that little twit!" the fierce voice belonging to Annabel Cardigan swore. "How dare she steal Draco from me? We had been friends, very good friends until that witch-mutt came. Honestly, even having that Weasley girl beat me to Draco is better than having _her_ steal him from me."

            Ginny cocked an eyebrow thoughtfully. So many it was a plan of a lunatic desperately in love. Now if she would be a bit more open minded, Annabel should be able to notice the queue of men trying to claim her attention. Goodness, if a woman like her couldn't get a man, where's the hope for the rest female population?

            Ginny shook her head with a smile and walked back to her corner in case the two left wanted to check on her. There had to have hope for the rest of them since she is Harry Potter's girlfriend. If she could get a man perfect – well, let's not go that far yet. Just suitable – for her, Annabel should not have any problems finding a guy for herself. She shouldn't have to resort to kidnapping and whatever she was planning on doing next.

~*~*~

            The kidnappers had left Ginny to her own musings. The less intelligent ones were sent to do the dirty work while the blondes were upstairs in their own musings. The time of personal thought didn't cooperate in keeping the prisoner reasonable. Times like these were usually the root of the abducted's own worries. Aside from the typical prisoners' concerns of keeping alive and making their location known, Ginny's heart quickened at the thought of the three aurors on their mission in Latin America. The most unsettling thought was the fact that the woman that helped plan the mission was also the person who commissioned Ginny's abduction, as well as the task of eliminating Aurora Classen.

            Ginny knew she was to be kept safe else the small plan of stealing a man would be changed to a massive abduction. That was quite a bleak outlook. If Annabel chose to go beyond stealing Draco, which her lunacy made it seem possible, Ginny was sure her happy-go-lucky times in the chamber would be less _happier_.

            For the next two and a half days, Annabel's presence graced the room once or twice a day. Each time, Ginny had seen her pacing. Ginny actually wanted to pace around herself. It was a suffocating feeling to be safe but unable to remind her friends of Mad Eye Moody's favorite phrase: constant vigilance. The fact that the abductors had given her limited freedom rather than having her tied-up or chain to the way, or even placed in a cell was like a planned, subtle way of torture.

            The end of feeling useless ended suddenly when Annabel's presence burst through Ginny's worries. The smile that seemed so confident, so scheming, so heartless ended the anticipation. The smile made everything clear, Ginny knew Annabel's plan had succeeded, if not, then the major part of the plan was completed. Aurora was gotten rid of.

            "Come Ginny!" Annabel Cardigan ordered with triumphal glee. "You shouldn't miss the welcoming of your boyfriend, should you?"

~*~ to be continued ~*~

_I apologize for the shortness of the chapter and the rather cliffy ending. I just wanted to move the story along before school starts . . .in 16.5 hours. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning of this story, you know how I am when school gets busy. I tend to disappear._

_Since I still need to prepare for my classes, the individualized thank-yous will be postponed until the next chapter. If you have your e-mail address public, I probably will e-mail you my thanks and appreciation._

_~Omnifarious_

_(Don't you like my new name? I still prefer Omni as short one though . . .)_


	23. Returns

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

Disclaimer: I own nada!

A/N: Sorry about the delay. I hope this will make up for it. It is a bit short and there might be some mistakes since I didn't pay too much attention during proofreading. 

~*~*~

Chapter Twenty-Two: Returns 

            Ginny was left in absolute solitude for the next week and a half. Annabel went back to work. Robert "Grumpy" was the only person with Ginny in her little basement cell. Since Grumpy usually had an aloof attitude towards Ginny and he wasn't dumb, Ginny had no mean of communicating with him. Insults would flare up the coldness between the prisoner and her keeper while nice civil conversations was impossible.

            "Miss Weasley!" Grumpy called out. Ginny remained in her crossed leg position and ignored the man. She was busy wondering why writing in the sand with her fingers makes them feel soft and smoother. Ginny was quite sure she was the prime example of how prisoners loose their intelligence after the fifth day of captivity. "What are you doing?" the man inquired after noticing Ginny doodling on the floor facing a corner like a bored child in timeout.

            Ginny continued to ignore the man. She was almost positive Grumpy came to release her. But Ginny wouldn't be released. She would live with the guilt of knowing something horrible would happen but had no means of letting people know. Emotional imprisonment was the worst type of confinement, Ginny remember Aurora telling her while reviewing her for auror's entrance exam. Making the prisoner feel trapped even years after their actual imprisonment was the ultimate way of making even a strong-minded individual feel weak and helpless.

            _Looks like Annabel and Grumpy had done quite a great job doing that to me. I don't want to get back in the real world. What would they have done with Aurora to break up the engagement? I don't want to find out . . ._

            A rough hand grabbed Ginny's shoulder causing her to flinch. Perhaps ignoring the capturers wasn't such a great idea. After all, constant vigilance is a life saving rule, one Ginny broke with her actions in the past 10 days.

            "Miss Weasley, are you deaf?" Grumpy asked in the tone that matched in nickname. "I am releasing you. Here is your wand. Apparate out. But remember one thing: a word of this leaks and you will pay for this dearly."

            Ginny numbly took her wand. She still didn't understand why Annabel would go such length to get married to Malfoy. The only the git had been tolerable was when he befriended Aurora. Right, the blame all lay with that platinum blonde. If he didn't make Aurora fall in love with him, Ginny would have never been captured, Aurora wouldn't be heartbroken since she never gave her heart away and Ginny would get to play matchmaker instead of getting set up by Aurora.

            Looking at her wand, Ginny apparated without a goodbye to Grumpy.

~*~*~

            Harry's house didn't change one bit, except how the door was slightly open. The housekeeper mode came back to Ginny as soon as she saw the gap. This was the house of Harry Potter, renowned auror, and man with too many enemies to count and just as many friends and supporters. 

Just as Ginny wanted to walk towards the house, she suddenly felt faint. The world seemed distant for a few moments. For what seemed like a few seconds, Ginny's visions spun around without a definite vertex. The lack of direction lasted as short as the whole vertiginous vision. Ginny walked briskly to the door hoping to sit down.

            Just as she got on the doorstep, the wooden board flew open narrowly missing her.

            "Ginny!" Harry called out as he pulled her in bone crushing hug. "Where were you? I was so worried when I got back and you weren't here."

            "When did you get back?" Ginny asked as with a bright smile. She didn't know Harry was back already. The auror gave her the I-asked-first-so-you-answer look. Ginny rolled her eyes at the rather immature reason. To her surprise and greatest sense of undoing, she couldn't remember where she was or why she was outside. A little voice in her head was announcing how she was out walking to get come fresh air. Seeing Harry's worry lines becoming more visible, Ginny's mind came up with a lousy but plausible excuse. 

"I was out walking." Ginny sincerely hoped that Harry was back for a few minutes rather than for a day. It would difficult to explain why she was out walking for a day. Since she didn't really know why she was outside, she needed to figure out things as well. If Harry were going to ask her for more detailed information, Ginny would be stuck in a difficult position. Seeing Harry nod as though he liked her answer for the moment, Ginny asked, "So when did you get back? How was the mission? Where is Aurora?"

            "I just got back today, actually," replied Harry, with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Come on in." Harry put his arm around her shoulder and led Ginny into the living room. To her surprise, the editor of the _Daily Prophet_ and Helen sat on the couch.

            "Hello Mrs. Crimpley. Hi Helen." Ginny greeted the two people with an unsure expression at Harry. The frown made a debut on Harry's brow. Ginny looked between the two visitors and Harry wondering why two people without any special connection to Harry were in Harry's sitting room. The dizziness from Ginny's previous episode hit her at full force. While glancing at the two groups of people looking worried, Ginny's legs gave out.

            "Oh my goodness!" the three other people in the room cried out as Harry caught Ginny thanks to his quick reflexes. Harry carried the now frail looking girl to the couch where Mrs. Crimpley and Helen had jumped up from when Ginny fell.

            "Here," Harry said as he laid her down. Ginny noticed once again the frown seemed to be a permanent mark on Harry's face. Harry was about to asked something when a cough from the two guests stopped him.

            "We'll leave now Mr. Potter," the editor of the wizarding world's newspaper declared when her small noise caught Ginny and Harry's attention. "She is here, safe and sound." Her eyes then turned to Ginny, "Please have a rest dear. Don't worry about your column. I can have someone else write it for you while you are away." The younger girl nodded while the older woman spoke.

            "Rest well, Ginny." Being still dazed from the unwarranted fall, Ginny merely nodded while Harry waved them goodbye. The click of the door sounded the two women's exit. Somehow, the fact that Harry didn't bother to check to see if people actually left – a security breach in his actions – made Ginny feel uneasy. It almost seemed like the lack of security from checking the door was caused by an event that happened earlier.

            "Harry?" Ginny asked unable to block her discomfort and fear from her voice. The panic in Ginny's voice caused Harry to jump to her side.

            "Are you alright Gin?" The lackluster emerald eyes proved that something happened and it made Harry worry. The something probably was connected to her lack of memory. Ginny nodded with a smile. The undivided attention from Harry made her feel safe and loved. Warmth and fluffiness replaced the previous cold and clammy sensation. "Good," Harry mumbled looking away, "good."

            "Harry," Ginny began again. She lost Harry's attention to the surroundings. His eyes scanned around the room with the ever-present frown. "What is wrong." The comment presented no option for Harry to brush it off; Ginny demanded for an answer.

            "I am just worried," the auror replied. "I came back and you were here. Then I called for your editor and the maid to see if you have been around . . . or that someone had kidnapped you or something. But now that I see you are fine, except a bit tipsy, my heart beat has slowed down." What was supposed to be a reassuring smile confirmed Ginny's suspicions. No matter how much training Harry had in concealing the truth, he could never lie efficiently in front of Ginny.

            "Tell me."

            "Gin, you need rest. And I am going to help you get that rest even if I have to put a stunning spell on you so I can carry you to the bed and make you sleep," Harry commanded earnestly. Ginny tried her best to give him subtle puppy dog expressions. The silent pleading nearly succeeded until Harry shook his head and tapped her nose making her cross-eyed. "Sleep and rest for you."

~*~*~

            Ginny did end up sleep as Harry commanded. Her rest was short, but it was enough to satisfy Harry and gave her enough strength to badger him about what made him so uptight and worried. Even while Harry was an extraordinary seeker, he would not have had such fast reflexes to catch her unless he was still in completing-mission mode.

            "Harry, tell me," Ginny whined for the umpteenth time since she had woken up, in Harry's bed that smell too much like the owner. "Please, I want to know what is wrong. You are being distant," Ginny accused, grabbing at any ammunition to have Harry open up.

            Upon hearing Ginny's accusation, Harry sharply pulled into a hug placing gentle kisses on her forehead, her cheeks, nose, and lips. Technically, the redhead should be at a state of mental loss, but the little displays of affection did nothing to appease the curiosity boiling inside.

            "You are not going to get away from telling me," Ginny declared pulling herself away from the kisses while remaining in Harry's embrace. The tension in her boyfriend's body relaxed with a sigh.

            "I am just glad you are safe Ginny."

            "Why would I be not safe?" There, the question of the year asked.

            "It's nothing . . ."Harry mumbled attempting to hide things again. The sharp look Ginny had that seemed uncannily motherly gave him no option of dodging the subject. "Maybe I just over exaggerated something I heard."

            "What did you hear?" Ginny pressed further. She still hadn't told Harry about her lack of memories. If she doesn't find out what he was worried about, Ginny wasn't sure if it would have been a good idea to worry Harry more with her declaration.

            "I was in Latin American and we had an encounter with one of the rebel groups. As we brought them to the local ministry of magic, one of the men mumbled something about how I should worry for someone I care about." Ginny motioned for him to continue.

            "I didn't take the comment to heart since most of the offending wizards and witches always make an empty like that, but when I got back and you were in my house, the comment came back to me like Dread with a hammer." With the tension released, Ginny noticed how Harry's expressive eyes were clouded with anxiety and concern.

            "It's alright. I am perfectly fine. See?" Ginny twirled around the room. The display of energy obviously didn't convince Harry, so Ginny chose to not voice her misgivings about not remembering something.

            "Are you really alright Ginny?" Harry asked looking at her like she was being interrogated at the Auror department. "Do you feel anything strange? Out of balance with the rest of your body or your psyche?"

            "No?" Ginny replied saturated with uncertainty. This time, Harry had the commanding-mother expression. "A little, I suppose. I don't remember why I was out walking earlier to today."

            "What did you feel beforehand?" Harry asked bring their distance closer. It seemed as though Harry was near a breakthrough on something.

            "Dizzy." Harry let loose a string of curses before he grabbed two cloaks for Ginny and himself.

            "The pieces now fit better," Harry said putting the cloak over Ginny's shoulder. "We are going to stop by the ministry."

~*~ to be continued ~*~

_Omni's Chapter Ending Notes:_

**_Melodie_**_: Thank you! I have had the problems of loosing track of stories as well. ^^ There are so many wonderful writing that I loose track. I hope my later chapters are up to par or perhaps better than the initial ones – improvement would be good._

**_Ella_**_ **Wood**: No problem about the not reviewing. As long as I know you still read and like what I wrote or have something to say about it, I am happy. Feedback is always good. And the China trip was fun, but exhausting. Seeing relatives is quite a tiring task._

**_sum1special_**_: So the twist wasn't too cliché and tacky and all those other things that usually come with amateur plot twists? Hm, you seemed quite hyper in the last review._

**_Female_**_ **Fred**: Thank you! You have no idea how much your comment meant to me. I am extremely flattered, but skeptical – a characteristic of my always wavering self-confidence. But I cannot thank you enough. It was a good note for me to remember for school. 'Nother two reviews person! I didn't disappear as you see, but I think I may be becoming somewhat transparent, like those "invisible" tapes._

**_NCDSbookworm_**_: I believe I have already addressed you review in the little e-mail I sent you. As for drifting from Harry's wedding, we know that the wedding mentioned actually belongs to Draco and Aurora, the king and queen of badly written drama. I thought Ginny and Harry deserved a break with the strange happenings; not to mention Draco Malfoy seemed like the type to attract psychopaths. ^^_

**_Rhiain_**_: She is "safe". Don't worry. No everlasting damage done, at least not debilitating. ^^_

**_Loopyloony_**_: Hook, the one thing a speaker needs. Glad to know I have succeeded in creating my Hook and my little hooks. HEY! You reviewed twice, a brownie for you! And yeah, I have a slow update this time. *blush*_

**_Aindel_**_ **Druida**: A long note to my protector and two-times reviewer. ^^ Eek, school started for you too . . . feeling sympathetic for me? I do feel better, but school ultimately ruins any happy thoughts. I have four tests in one day. What a hectic week. Oh yeah, I believe you can sympathize with choreography a dance for touring in three weeks. I cannot believe my teacher is doing that to me, the person who cannot choreograph for the live of her. Anyhow, done fuming and complaining. Happy days of school to you! (That was not sarcastic, merely overly optimistic.) Oh right, seven dwarves, you know, I thought the kidnappers having a connotation with Snow Whites dwarves was funny . . . but that's my humor. I was imagining them carrying Ginny like a log while singing the mining song._

**_Avalon2_**_: Goody! One of the biggest problems I have noticed when people write is having their characters be OOC when the story changes in direction. A happy-go-lucky person becomes depressed in three paragraphs. Anyhow, I am glad you like my interpretation of Ginny. OOH! You reviewed twice too! Another dessert for you – that is the only thing I can make without any damage to the kitchen or myself. I am working on the Annabel intro. I am not sure if I will have the rewrite of the chapter up, but please feel free to reread it to see if it is any better. As for school, history consists of too much reading and no time for my stress relieving activities. A vicious cycle._

**_HopefulTears_**_: No problem. It was nice to know that someone actually went to my website thingy. But anyhow, my little cyber world has renovations so I have two sites! Yep, found out how to work out geocities' programs. And I am not sure if I want Aurora dead yet. I don't really like reading about death so I try not to incorporate that unless completely necessary._

**_Silver_**_ **Witch**: Thank you. I still like Omni better though. Nice short, full of meaning . . . anyhow, I am sorry you had to wait that long._

**_The (I'm to lazy to log in) Dragon Guardian of the Sea_**_: Got any ideas on how to hurt Annabel? I could certainly use some. My musey is in the I-am-going-to-be-Miss-Universe mode where she doesn't want to hurt a soul. So much for avenging the non-happy parts of life._

**_Serenity55_**_: Sorry! School takes precedence though. My teachers and friends have agreed on the fact that I have the schedule of hell . . . too many AP classes and too many reading assignments._

**_eclipse17_**_: Thank you! I am rewriting it due to my Great Expectations. ^^_

Well, that was a long thank-you note. Not that I am unhappy. Reading all of your reviews have certainly brought joy to my days filled with assignment after assignment. The best part was how rereading your reviews drove the writer's block away. It sounds cliché, but seriously. I spend around fifteen minutes scanning the reviews I have gotten so far. Then the next day, I spent half of my non-thinking time and some thinking time at school dreaming up of ways to continue and resolve the twist and such. That probably explained why I got a somewhat low score on my history test, but it's all right. 89.1 % is not too hard to bring up, especially when there's only 250 points so far.

_Thanks a million!_

Omnifarious 

P.S. – Unfortunately, I will always have slow updates once school begins. I made a little journal sort of site where I keep the progress of my stories, which you can find a link to in my bio. If I am out for around a month, you'll probably find some info on whether I have given up or I met the "best" friend of writing. I don't think I will truly disappear. If I do, you know where to find out. 


	24. Karma with a Bad Sense of Humor

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: Own nada.

~*~*~

Chapter Twenty-Three: Karma with a Bad Sense of Humor 

            They were almost at the destination. Harry had led Ginny to the foot of the Ministry building. Ginny merely blindly followed Harry to wherever he was heading to. With her own sense of imbalance due to her memory loss and Harry's now ever present "V" on his forehead, all Ginny could do was follow the leader. Harry's reaction of cursing and his aura of destruction did nothing to pacify Ginny's own doubts.

            Why would someone erase her memory? Did she find out something absolutely horrible? Like murder? Or was she forced to do something horrible? If Harry was taking her to the ministry, did she do something like what happened during the first year at Hogwarts? Was her memory loss due to another wizard or witch overpowering her mind?

            The thought of being controlled by some evil wizard and the recurring images of Tom Riddle stopped Ginny's musings. A mental dam created by fright abruptly ended the flood of inquires. Her feet stopped walking too. Unexplainable fear and anxiety over the trip to the Ministry of Magic didn't aid in Ginny's internal pleadings to continue moving her legs. She couldn't do anything. The intensity of dread was like a powerful premonition advocating ultimate pessimism. Somehow, going to the Aurors' office would be an unsettling event with news that cannot even be described as one's worst nightmare.

            Without knowing that she was shaking in dread, Harry looked at Ginny with a look of utmost care, as though she was a porcelain doll that suffered a fall but didn't break.

            "Are you alright, Ginny?" Harry asked after pulling her close to his chest. The redhead's palms were cold and sweaty. The blank look in Ginny's eyes had scared the auror. The only times Harry had ever seen anyone look so helpless and in distress were interviews with victims. But Harry was certain Ginny was a victim. She suffered at the hand of some dishonorable witch or wizard, mostly because of her connections. With two close friends being aurors and nearly all of her relatives working at or with England's Ministry of Magic, it was no surprised Ginny was attacked.

            Harry was definitely certain Ginny was a victim of something horrible. But what and whom caused her suffering?

            After numerous kisses of comfort, hugs, and promising words, Ginny returned to reality. Flashes of the Chamber of Secrets and the ominous cloud that hung over Ginny's conscience were disabling, but the light that shined through the clouds was Harry, like many times before. 

            "It's alright Harry," Ginny spoke attempting to return the favor of comfort. "We are almost there. A few steps and we face the next stage, right?" Ginny knew she had experienced something horrible. If not, she wouldn't be paralyzed and borderline mad, insane, crazy, depressed when she tried to prod through the hidden memories.

            Holding Harry's hand tighter, it was Ginny who led the two into the building and to the Department of Defense. Harry performed the necessary steps for Ginny to enter and to set up whatever he wanted to do in the office of the aurors. Ginny was left to be alone with her thoughts. Organization was crucial for Ginny to combat the reasonless apprehension. Certainly her previous visits to this professionally decorated part of the Ministry were always filled with consternation, this time, the feeling seemed more urgent. All her earlier visits were haunted by petty nervousness, but this time, something in Ginny's head was sending deafening warning signals about upcoming events.

            "Potter? Ginny?" the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy sounded the room. His form was supported the doorframe that separated the office of the Famous Trio among the aurors from the rest of the department. "What are you doing here?" One glance at Ginny and Harry, he rephrased the question. "What happened to you two?"

            "I think I have found more explanations, Malfoy," Harry began.

            Ginny's mind chose to block the aurors' conversation from her comprehension. The words were like the whooshes of wind blowing by her ear. Occasionally, the speech was slurred. Ginny couldn't concentrate nor understand what the two aurors were discussing so avidly. She glanced around the room. Everything was placed is a way that shouted order and chaos. Papers were haphazardly laid on the desks, but somehow the arrangement seemed ordered. It looked as though whoever was sorting it randomly placed the grouped papers.

            "Ginny?"

            Ginny looked up from her survey of the surroundings. The looks on both Draco's face and Harry's face hurled back the dark cloud that was in her mind; seeing two frowns increased her own apprehensions. Why couldn't she remember things when she revisited her memories? 

            "Um?"

            "Ginny," Harry began playing with a file folder in his hands. "Can you tell me what you have done since I was gone?" Ginny slowly shook her head. Trying harder, pieces of memories fell in place.

            "When you left, Hermione told me to housesit for you . . ." Ginny began the narration of her life in the past few weeks. She spoke of the kneazles, meeting the maid, baking desserts, and writing her column. " . . . so for her next visit, I was going to bake her my pie. She wanted to try my recipe."

            "Helen said she never saw you after your discussion about pies," Harry interrupted. "Do you remember what happened after that?"

            "I did the usual: writing, reading, resting," Ginny replied with a shrug. The dubious look on Harry's face made her doubtful of her quick reply. Did she do those things though? She didn't feel like she lived at all in the past few weeks yet she had the memory of knowing she had written her columns.

            Silence took over the room for a few moments. Both aurors seemed to be going through pieces of the puzzle in their head. The picture seemed awkward without the other third of the Trio. Where was Aurora? Shouldn't she be apart of this crime-solving meeting? Ginny turned her attention to Draco.

            "Draco, where is Aurora and why are you here now? Aurora told me you always rested for a week after a mission before returning to office work." When Ginny mentioned her best friend's name, both aurors stiffened visibly. The only time Ginny had ever seem Harry so emotionless and stone-like was when his comrades died fighting against Voldemort. "Oh no." The cry was more of a statement of realization rather than shock. "What happened to Aurora?"

            The stormy cloud cover in Ginny's mind seemed to turn into a hurricane. Frenzied waves of shock, panic, anxiety shook her mind while a silent and wordless ominous voice sent a feeling of a premonition being accurate. Ginny felt like she knew something bad was going to happen. The little shadow of omens in her head now had the center stage in her thoughts. Aurora was hurt, if not dead. Ginny felt like she knew something was going to happen. But as for a better explanation than a premonition, there was none.

            "What did you say?" Harry asked still in his confidante/coworker mode.

            "I should have known!" Ginny wailed out. The small blurb of the unknown sent Ginny into a shivering state. Noticing her distress, Harry walked over to Ginny and placed her in the safe circle of his arms.

            "Shh, Ginny. No one would have expected anything to come out of the worry. Or if they did, it was the routine worry friends and family feel when we go off to a mission," Harry said into her hair. The words of comfort had no effect. The shivering became a show of tears.

            "No, this was a different type of bad feeling." Ginny retorted. "I can't describe it, but it was bad. The realization was a boulder sinking into my stomach type of shock." To battle the shaking in her bones, Ginny pulled out of Harry's comfortable but unyielding embrace. She needed to pace, to calm her nerves, to get her out of this horrible nightmare.

            "Harry, Draco," Ginny spoke after a long period of silence except the sound of Ginny pacing. "Tell me what happened to Aurora." The two men looked at each other before anyone dared to open his mouth. Ginny's heart pounded. Instead of feeling anxious at perhaps she got the title of head girl, the sinking pit in her stomach was an indescribable sense of dread. What had happened to Aurora that caused the two men to look ghastly the two times she asked why her best friends wasn't with them when the mission was over.

            "Ginny," Draco began after his eye conversation with Harry. "Nothing really happened to Aurora." Ginny noticed the pained voice he used when he said Aurora's name. If nothing did happen to her, why would Draco Malfoy sound like someone took a knife, stabbed it in his heart, twisted the knife, and proceeded to pound on his already wounded heart?

            "Aurora chose to not come back with us," Harry added his two cent when Draco didn't elaborate on his answer. Ginny looked at the two men before, switching from staring in Harry's eyes to Draco's. The fact that none of them actually held her stare annoyed Ginny to no end. They were deliberately trying to hide something from her for probably a stupid reason like they don't want to hurt her.

            "Why would Aurora _choose_ not to come back with you?" Ginny asked patiently. If they wanted her to be the poor little child listening to why Santa didn't come, they will have to deal with Ginny taking charge of the interrogation and answer session. "Please tell me. She is my best friend; I believe I deserve to know what happened exactly that she chose to not return. After all, she does have a wedding coming up in a few months." The comment on the wedding made both men flinch.

            "Ginny," Harry began after another secret conversation with Draco via their eyes. "Aurora said – "

            "She betrayed us." Ginny's eyes became the size of saucers at Draco's exclamation. "We were attacked at our lodging one night. The radicals were taking instructions at Aurora's bidding.

            "There was a rather disastrous duel between Potter and I against Aurora and those guerilla wizards. Half way into the duel, the radicals started disapparating at Aurora's command. Just before she disapparated, she dropped a letter addressed to you. By then, five of the Latin American defense wizards had fallen." Draco handed Ginny a postcard sized envelope.

"When the Latin American Alliance's president tried to open the letter, the security charms placed on it gave his first degree burns and cinched his beard, eyelashes, and eyebrows," Harry added. "I think the letter is a private thing, but it will definitely be one of the evidence at the trial."

            "Do you know why?" Ginny whispered as she looked at the plain envelope. "She wouldn't do something like that. It just isn't right."

            "That's why we need you to open the letter and see what she wrote in it," Harry replied with a smile.

            "You don't think she actually betrayed you two?"

            "Well, no," Draco replied with a huff of air. "Potter got this warning about you and Aurora had a nightmare about you. Something doesn't feel quite right, not that you aren't special," he added after Harry glared at him. The fact of what had happened to her brought the deep pit of fear back in Ginny's mind.

            "I suppose I should read the letter then," Ginny said after another moment of silence. Finding out that Aurora supposedly betrayed Harry and Draco was mind blowing. If her betrayal were related to whatever had happened to Ginny, it would be even more shocking. "I suppose we should read the letter and see what she wrote." Ginny's hands shook as she opened the letter.

_Dear Ginny,_

_            It certainly has been awhile since we last communicated. This letter should not bring you any bad news. I am alive and well. Whatever you have heard from the ministry or from Harry and Draco might seem shocking and unlike what I would have done, but I am ashamed to say that as your best friend, I have hidden things from you. Some happenings in my family are kept secret because they are meant to be. It was never my intention to bring any of my friends in danger. Now I am sorry to say that if I do not disappear from the face of the earth, you will be in danger. There were quite a few reasons why someone would use you as a levy to blackmail me considering you are my best friend._

_            I beseech you and any of my friends at Hogwarts to refrain from looking for me. What happened on this mission basically resulted in making me nonexistent to the world. Although you will most likely never see me again, please note that I didn't really commit treason. The rebels knew of our location already. During one of my assigned secret meetings with the heads, I was captured and offered a in which my family must refrain from any intervention of "you know"._

_            Please be safe and marry Harry. If it isn't a rush for you and Harry, I would be very happy if the wedding – Draco's and mine – you are planning is used for your happiness. It was strange how the wedding was started with the common idea that it was Harry marrying Aurora and gradually transformed to a wedding of Draco Malfoy and then the truth was revealed. It would be very humorous if the wedding did become a wedding of Harry Potter. The press will have a ball and we can say the Draco-Aurora thing was a cover up._

_            I don't know . . . or you could say the truth. Anyhow, please let Draco know I wish him the best in everthing and tell Harry to remember our Conversation. Also, if Mr. Malfoy complains about money, just rub it in his face that my family actually chipped in most of the expenses. That's my farewell present to all of you._

_            Happy a great life (that's cheesy, but hey),_

_With eternal gratitude,_

_Aurora Classen_

            Ginny looked up from the letter. The heads of Harry and Draco were looking over her shoulder. It was one those things that bothered her: her vertically challenged physique. But it wasn't important. Her best friend at Hogwarts was now living in exile of sorts and her _last wish_ was to have Ginny and Harry marry. The proposition was odd, just like her extremely eccentric friend.

            So it was Aurora's wish that she should marry Harry in a few months . . . 

~*~*~

Erm yes. Things just got stranger. I supposed I am rushing the ending a bit . . . I have no clue anymore. Bad writers' blocks tend to mess up things very badly.

I am sorry about the very delayed update. Due to the pretty much impossible block, I resorted to writing my very own ideas now. I hope no one will hurt me if I turn my attention to my original ideas rather than fanfiction for a while. For those who actually like my "style" (ha! If you could call it that ^^), fictionpress has the ones not archived on here and my website will have more later . . . as soon as I get time to fiddle with it. ^^

Thanks for everyone's support! You have made this story very enjoyable (and quite a bit difficult) to write. As for the friends I have made while writing this, thank you many more times and a shower of hugs.

If you would like to ask me about when I will write the next, all necessary contact info is in my profile. I don't mind reasonable rushing, it actually helps to a degree.

~Omnifarious

NOTE: This isn't the last chapter. I still have more loose ends to tie up.


	25. Moving On

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: Own nada.

~*~*~

Chapter Twenty-Four: Moving On 

            Aurora's note had a devastating effect on the lives everyone that knew as someone more than an auror. For those who did see her as a defender of the good side, two different opinions of her prevailed. There were those who only knew of her disappearing act believed it to be kidnapping and there were those wo were determined to put her at trial for treason. Since the Ministry had kept low on the happening of the Famous Trio, it was a comfort for the friends and family of Aurora Classen to be with their own thoughts for a little while. The brief period of time was indeed short since the lives of the three aurors were under constant scrutiny. When one reporter realized there was something fishy about the absence of one-third and the lack of whatever defined the other two-thirds, news got around that a new story was out: What Happened to the Famous Trio's Female Member?

The person who seemed to be affected the most was obviously Draco Malfoy. It wasn't normal for someone who had lacked friends since he was born to end up losing his fiancée. Ginny noticed his withdrawal from the world and his family and friends since the day they read Aurora's note, which was a week ago. Perhaps  Aurora's family coming to London to visit the city that was the last known home of their daughter would help Draco. Ginny had refused to believe Aurora was dead. After knowing the girl for so long, she knew Aurora just had to survive whatever happened to her. From what the note had said, it seemed as though the former Slytherin had experience more than what even her closest friends know. Perhaps the visit from the Classens could explain some unknowns.

            While Draco, Harry, and Ginny were in their own mourning moments, the Ministry of Magic had already begun their investigation on Aurora's act of treason. The lives lost during the mission although it wasn't British agents, they did work for the allies of the British Ministry of Magic. For the Ginny and Aurora's past partners, it was appalling to have the ministry start the investigations. Policy-wise, it was logical to start the trial soon, but the moral voice in the heads of the three friends of Aurora shouted obscenities in their minds. It seemed impossible to have someone like Aurora to go against the institution, not after how adamant she was about defeating Voldemort.

            "Ginny," Harry called out from his living room. Ginny opted to stay in Harry's house rather than staying at her own apartment. Suddenly the small home seemed to suffocate her with memories of girls' nights with Aurora.

            "Coming, Harry," Ginny replied bouncing down the stairs. They hadn't spoke of getting married since reading the letter. It was one subject neither wanted to discuss until the chaos of the Famous Trio's last mission cooled down. Besides, Aurora's absence seemed like a death so getting married seemed like desecrating the mourning period or not respecting the so-called dead.

            "We need to meet the Classens for tea in fifteen minutes. Apparating is fast, but to get through the massive media that is bound to be there would take time. Besides, we are to make sure Malfoy decided to end his self-imposed exile too." Ginny nodded her head while putting on finishing touches of her outfit. Harry petted the kneazels that chose to make their residence permanent and gave Hedwig and Mimi some owl snacks.

            "Ready Harry!" Ginny declared when the necessarily precautions of leaving the house were completed. Putting on their coats and grabbing their wand, Ginny and Harry disapparated from the Harry's residence to meet the Classens in one of magical London's top notch tea houses, the cottage where Ginny first met Annabel Cardigan and had a friendly lunch date with Draco Malfoy.

            The front of the restaurant already had some paparazzi lining up hoping to gain the view of the Classens. It seemed as though the family decided to have tea in the middle of the flower garden since photographers had elevated themselves and their equipment above the taller plants. The security charms placed on the area provided a good example as well as entertainment out of overly eager reporters.

            "Ginny! Harry!" Mrs. Classen declared when Ginny entered the reserved area for their meeting. "I hope the press didn't give you such a hard time." Ginny mumbled a no as she gave Mrs. Classen a hug. For some strange reason, the Classens didn't seem like they were grieving for their daughter at all.

            "Draco is busy ordering the food," Mr. Classen added when he came to welcome Ginny and Harry. "Please take a seat and we can begin discussing whatnots. We haven't discussed anything yet since Draco wanted all three of you here since Aurora was close to all of you, not just him."

            Ginny and Harry made their way to the lone table amidst the greenery. The table was set and Draco sat alone looking more miserable than what Ginny had expected. Since it wasn't like Aurora died, there was still some possibility that he could meet Aurora again. Even if the girl wouldn't accept the identity of Aurora Classen, she probably still had the same personality as the old Aurora.

            That scenario might be a stretch, but it was the one thing that was keeping Ginny from sinking into the pit of depression at the thought of losing a best friend. The lack of power and prestige in Draco's aura darkened the setting more. Instead of feeling confident, the slacking shoulder of a Malfoy made Ginny feel helpless in such a situation.

            "Hello Draco." The greeting was a silent inquiry as well. But like a person with typical Malfoy upbringing, the comment was also a reminder for him to sit up straight and accept what had happened and move on.

            "Hello Ginny," he replied with a trademarked dispassionate smirk. "So what about that wedding?"

            That was the ultimate question. Whether she would get married to Harry Potter in a few months. Her mother was ecstatic about the prospect of Ginny getting married. The thought of eternal happiness flew out of everyone else's minds while the big warning signed blared in her own mind. Sure she had a long-term crush on the famous Harry Potter, but could that guarantee a happy married life?

            "I don't know," Ginny answered looking at Harry. He had been silent since they exited the house. In fact, he was more quiet than usual after Aurora's letter. At first, Ginny had the irrational fear that the idea of marriage brought up the so-called male stereotype of fearing commitment. After a few days, especially after Harry asked for her to live in his home, Ginny noticed the Boy Who Lived was in the same boat as her. The idea of marriage was shocking to bother her and Harry, the normal male whose job forces him to travel and cut down contact with family and friends.

            "Thank goodness the darned media is controlled," the exasperated voice of Mrs. Classen stopped the reenactment of reading Aurora's letter. "I suppose we should get started." Everyone took a seat with Ginny by Mrs. Classen and Draco by Mr. Classen.

            "Perhaps I should explain more about our family," Mr. Classen began. "Like many large wizarding families, our family has extended history."

            For the next hour, the Classens explained the family background. Apparently, the family was a _neutral _family in any wizarding conflict. Since the chaos caused by Merlin centuries ago, the Classen's lineage have oscillated alliance on every issue until Grindelwald. In the war against Grindelwald, the Classens took a definite stand against the dark wizard since their own family was targeted. Due to the definite stand the family took during the Grindelwald issue, the family made enemies from the so-called evil, dark side as well as enemies from the good side from previous decisions.

            The first uprising of Voldemort was ignored while the family wanted to remain neutal to prevent members of the family from persecution from both sides. During that period of time, the family had moved its base in Australia to get away from the conflicts in England. When the second uprising of Voldemort became more violent, the young Aurora Classen couldn't stand the immoral actions of the heir of Slytherin and persuaded the Classen family to make it their mission to end the heinous rein of the half blood.

            "But why was Aurora targeted now?" Ginny asked. She was still in shock about extended history of the Classens, but it did explain why Lucius Malfoy did accept his son's acquaintance with Slytherin traitor. "In all her other missions, she didn't have problems or difficulties like this."

            "Although we have pretty much refrained from making more enemies, those families who went our opposite side and suffered still seek revenge. Most of our family members are not in professions where their safety is put at risk, but you know Aurora . . ." Ginny nodded her in agreement with Mrs. Classen. Aurora was the type of girl to risk everything – even the happiness of her love, Malfoy – to make the world a better place, as the cliché would say.

            "Aren't you worried about Aurora's safety?" Harry asked with a frown. The older couple shrugged.

            "Would it make sense for them to hurt Aurora?" Mr. Classen asked with a Slytherin-like smile. "Would it be smart for the rebels to hurt Aurora if that would unleash the entire Classen clan – along with my wife's family and possibly even the Malfoys and I would suppose the Weasleys too – wrath on those rebels?" Ginny then wondered how they would know Aurora had been hurt. After all, she did cut off all communication. As though Mrs. Classen understood Ginny's confused smile, the elderly woman then explained the tracking system.

            "Each of the Classens have a tracking spell placed on them since their birth. We would know if Aurora got hurt." It was like the Weasley clock. The hands pointed at whether each family member was at home, safe, at work, or in danger.

            "You are not worried?" Draco asked with uncharacteristic uncertainty. His pretense of carelessness dropped when he asked the question. The cold and distant Malfoy seemed very much like an average worried and lovesick man. "Does that mean Aurora could contact us once this boils over?"

            "That would depend on Miss Weasley," Mrs. Classen replied with a dark look at her dessert. "The threat was placed on the safety of Ginny, right?" Ginny nodded. "Did anything unusual happen to you? If something did happen, it would most likely make Aurora really stay out of sight." The news made everyone pale. The fact that Ginny did lose a chunk of her memory whether it still bothered her or not had an effect on their Aurora.

            "She believes you to be her little sister," Mr. Classen added with a smile. "She did say that if she were to have a sibling, it would this Gryffindor with red hair while she was at Hogwarts." There was a blissful smile of remembrance. "She wouldn't stop talking about what happened between Ginny and her. 'Oh, I dragged Ginny to do this with me . . . Ginny asked me that . . . I think Ginny got mad at me.' That girl would not stop."

            "Do you think Aurora will contact us again though?" Draco asked. Resigned to the fact that perhaps Aurora would never willingly come back.

            The answer was a simple shaking of their heads with a pained smile. No one really knew, but Ginny did feel better though. At least it wasn't likely for Aurora to be hurt. But if people dared to hurt her, Ginny was sure those who caused Aurora's disappearance would at least feel her Weasley temper and some mean jinxes as well as possible Unforgivable curses depending on what happened. Knowing Aurora was the strong person who would never easily give in, Ginny was hoping and desperately wishing for her best friend's speedy return.

            When the questions were over, the elderly Classens excused themselves since they had some other arrangement and left Draco, Ginny, and Harry to themselves.

            "So . . ." all three began when the older couple was out of sight.

            "Potter, you still haven't gotten your act together?" Draco asked in his usual Malfoy drawl. He seemed almost back to normal with the mischievous gleam in his eyes except the slightly slouching shoulders.

            "What act?" Ginny asked looking between the two men. She suddenly felt out of place. When Aurora was there, she teased Ginny endlessly in front of both men. Now it seemed as though she was completely out of the loop of the aurors. Hearing her question, Draco Malfoy shook his head and mumbled his farewell before apparating out. Ginny then turned to look at Harry.

            "What act?" Harry repeated nervously wetting his lips. Ginny nodded. After the reassurance of Aurora's safety, Ginny felt at ease enough to placed both her hands on her hips and tap her feet waiting for Harry to "get his act togther."

            "Yes. What act, as in what are you planning." Harry seemed to look more nervous. "You know, the last time you were so dodgy was when you got me to plan a wedding without knowing who is getting married."

            "Ginny . . ." Harry trailed off with a huff. He looked abashedly at his feet before looking up at Ginny's face while bring her hands to hit lips. "How much faith do you have in us?" Before Ginny could answer, he looked away again to curse at Draco, Aurora, the plants, the table, and the waiter on the side waiting to clear the table. "Let's take a walk."

~*~*~

            Harry led Ginny to the gardens of the little pastry house. Since it had become common for a place to get sugary sweets, young couples tended to wander to the restaurant and share a pudding or tiramisu. When more min-dates happened in the restaurant, the owner decided to grow a small garden for the couple to walk around in rather than being confined to a table. Besides, the walk around the garden tended to make weight-conscious females feel better about eating so much sugary snacks.

"So," Harry began seeming nervous once again. "Do you think Aurora will be back?" Ginny gave Harry an "Are you kidding me" look. "Well, okay then . . ."

            "Harry, just tell me whatever you are going to tell me," Ginny said with a sigh. "I don't think you wanted to talk about Aurora." From how Harry seemed to be so nervous, it probably would be something about their relationship. Like how he had so much trouble attempting to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball, Harry was fiddling with his fingers and his entire body radiated tension. Ginny looked at the quivering mass of nerves turned back into the determined and assured Harry after the defeat of Voldemort. _Please let it be good news . . ._ Ginny thought with her own heart pounding, _I know the commitment thing could scare off a guy, but please don't let Harry be like the typical men._

            "Ginny, did you know how I felt when I came back and you weren't at my house?" Ginny noticed suddenly noticed how green his eyes were and wondered if the pupils were actually magnets instead of living tissue. "I was so worried since Aurora did mention threats the enemies had made about you and quite frankly, the last mission was pretty much a mental battle – and when I realized you weren't home – I don't know. Then I found out you had a memory gap, which made me what, happened in between and why you had a memory charm on you anyhow. So I thought it might relate to why Aurora was – "

            "You are babbling, Harry." Harry didn't seem to notice that fact. His babbling became mumbles and suddenly, with straight shoulders and another attempt at maintaining eye contact, Harry paused 

            "—anyhow, would you marry me?"

~*~ TBC ~*~

Erm, I absolutely despise transitions. I hate it, I hate it, I hate writing it so very much. I have never been good with transitions. Oh well, comments and criticism welcome. Maybe the version I put up on the web would have better transitions and such.

*big breath* It feels strange to have a story approaching an end. Well, at least I will have a finished story soon. Maybe two, three chapters more . . . it all depends on how much info I have on movies.

To get purely progress on my stories, I have created a bloggy thing for that: 

You can also get e-mail notifications whenever I have an update instead of getting author alert and such . . . I just figured my gibberish one was really all gibberish.

Thanks for reading. Now, _The Scarlet Letter_ and all its symbolisms and such . . . 


	26. There's a Wedding?

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

**Note**: please don't hurt me for 1. This chapter was bad – I had a major block. 2. The long wait I forced upon all of you for this chapter. 3. I skipped the actual planning portion of the wedding.

**Disclaimer**: Own nada!

~*~*~

**Chapter Twenty-Five: There's a Wedding?**

_            "Anyhow, would you marry me?"_

            Ginny looked at Harry in surprise. She most definitely wasn't expecting that. Sure Aurora had asked for them to get married so the wedding wouldn't be a waste. But that was just a quirky comment from Aurora. It probably was a one of those spontaneous ideas the former auror always had. But why did Harry ask her that? Did she really have faith in them?

            "Um . . ." was Ginny's reply to her own questions as well as Harry's. Did she have faith in their relationship? Sure they were only a couple for not even a few months, but Ginny did have a crush on Harry since she could read about the miraculous survival of Harry Potter. Of course the crush did dissipate as she began noticing other boys, but always deep down in her heart, she had a special place for Harry. Initially it was one of celebrity crush, but now, with the way the sunlight bounced off his uniquely green colored eyes, the sense of safety she felt would not be due to the fact that it was merely a celebrity crush.

            Yes, Ginny Weasley was in love with Harry Potter. One answer would bind her heart completely to him. Their life would be connected until the very end.

            "Am I planning this wedding?" Ginny asked finally with a smile. Saying yes seemed too typical of normal weddings. And under the circumstance of this proposal, the wedding would definitely be out of the ordinary.

            "Was that a yes?" said the dumbfounded hero of the wizarding world. Ginny wanted to roll her eyes but the situation was supposed to be romantic.

            "Well, do you feel pressured to marry me?"

            "No!" Harry exclaimed hugging Ginny tightly, as though she was going to run away. "I know it seems fast, but I would like you to marry me. I can't say Aurora's comment did affect my decision because it did. Everything that's happened made me sure of your value to me and the place in my life."

            "Harry," Ginny interrupted and putting some space between her and Harry so she could look up into his eyes. "One, you're still gushing, and two, you being romantic is not normal, at least you being a sappy romantic isn't." The poor auror looked as though he was rejected. Ginny then quickly placed a small kiss on his chin, since she was still trapped in Harry's embrace. "What about the chunk of my memory that's was lost? What if I killed someone or something?"

            "Don't worry about that. Under the rules and regulations 3.907, a murder committed by someone under another's will magically would not be charged of murder. If your memory was lost, most like the person who put the memory charm would be charged of murder if something like that happened. Besides, there is already a crew in my division investigating what kind of memory charm was placed on you." Ginny looked at her fiancé in disbelief.

            "I'm being investigated on and I don't even know it? What happened to my personal privacy and right and what not?" The frustrated rant gave Ginny enough power to push herself completed out of the confinement of Harry's arms so she could pace around.

            "Not investigated. Malfoy believed your memory loss has something to do with the so-called betrayal of Aurora. Besides, don't you want your memory back?" Harry said, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.

            "I supposed. But back on the happier subject, of course I'll marry you. As long as you can deal with me, I'll deal with you!"

            "Finally!" a voice declared over a bush. With one swift stab at the plant with their wands, Ginny and Harry noticed Draco Malfoy had heard their entire conversation. "You know, plant walls are not very suitable for mushy talk. Your little walk lead you right back here."

~*~*~

            When the news of Harry and Ginny's engagement were told to the Ginny's parents, Molly Weasley had immediately send out the family owl to alert all the Weasley clan of the good news that the youngest Weasley of Arthur and Molly was engaged to Harry Potter. The excited Mrs. Weasley also called Sirius and Remus through the fireplace.

            "Oh, please come to the Burrow now. I believe there is something Harry needed to tell you!" Ginny smiled at Harry's embarrassed impression when Remus's head got shoved out of sight and Sirius's head popped out with wide eyes and a quick goodbye. Within moments, the two older wizards had knocked on the door the Burrow.

            "Hello Arthur, Molly, Harry and Ginny," the two men greeted as Mrs. Weasley ushered them into the house with glee. "Gee, Molly you seemed to be quite excited. So what's the news?" Everyone in the room looked at one then the other and then the other . . .

            "Go on you two," Mr. Weasley encouraged. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about!"

            "We're engaged," Ginny and Harry breathed out in unison. The looks on Remus and Sirius's faced turned pale, then ghostly, then the corners of the mouths turned and within seconds, Harry was picked up by his godfather and twirled around.

            "Congratulations, my boy!" Sirius exclaimed giddily, with tears in his eyes. Without a moment's pause, he moved on the twirling Ginny as well. "And you too!"

            The congratulations between the "parents" became tearing as each remember how similar the younger Potter couple resembled Lily and James. It almost seemed like some supernatural force was trying to correct what had gone wrong. It would be extremely uncanny is Harry and Ginny's first child was a boy and inherited Ginny's hazel eyes. The paralleling life would be even creepy in the wizarding world.

            The news of Harry and Ginny's engagement didn't take long before everyone in the family and friend circle got notified. The last person to get the news, Charlie, ended up having four owls in one day telling him of his little sister's engagement. As the news traveled between friends to friend of a friend to friend of a friend of a friend and so on, the entire wizarding community in the British Isles received news that their favorite modern hero was going to get married. The scope of this engagement spread farther then what happened between Malfoy and Aurora, but Ginny had the suspicion that Draco Malfoy had something to do about wildfire speed at which the news traveled.

            Perhaps it was Draco trying to help out the planning session by telling those businesses that were a part of his wedding to rearrange it to Ginny's liking as he lost his other half. When the businesses got a hold of that new information, Ginny's mail had doubled its size with more catering companies and decoration agencies offering their services and various deals.

            _Maybe it was a bad idea to plan my own wedding_, Ginny thought one day when Mimi became indignant with all the foreign owls eating her limited amount of Aurora's pellets and water. With owls clattering Harry's house since she didn't move back to her flat, there were other issues that were bothering her. The ministry was also on her back trying to get her memories, which she wasn't even sure if she wanted to remember, back. Having so many family members working in the ministry meant the sick-one treatment was ever present. She and Hermione were deemed the pandas of the family for they were very fragile.

            During the stressful part of planning a wedding, Ginny wanted her best friend to complain to. Since Aurora's whereabouts was as definite as the number of stars in the sky, Ginny was left to stress out by herself without a good person to complain to. 

            "I'm sick of this!" Ginny declared one afternoon while Harry was at work and a few owls had fluttered in. "There's too much to worry about. Not only do I have to change parts of the wedding design, I have a time limit was well. I barely have four months to plan my own wedding . . . I am not even sure if it is going to be my own wedding anymore since I am pretty much rushed into it." With a desperate sigh, Ginny collapsed onto her bed in Harry's house. During her rant, she never heard Harry open the door nor did she noticed Harry had heard the part of her rant about doubting the wedding."

            "We don't have to get married, you know," Harry whispered after Ginny was done with her frustrated declaration. His tone seemed so deflated and hurt that Ginny's last will of not crying broken and tears broke out.

            "No, please don't say that," Ginny whispered with a sob. "It's just a bit stressful, you know. With Aurora suddenly gone and now I need to plan a wedding in four months and I still need to write my column, I am just a bit overwhelmed. Even more so then when we had end of the term exams at Hogwarts." The bed had shifted and Harry's comforting arms came around her.

            "I'm sorry. If I could take it all away, I would. We don't have to get married so soon. I am sure Aurora would understand."

            "But all of what I had done so far would be a waste –" the couple discussion that would shake their relationship status was interrupted by another owl fluttering in with an elaborate envelope. Ginny begrudgingly opened it and gasped.

            "What is it?"

            "Someone decided to give us a public engagement party . . ."

            "Well, this would explain why there are nutty people in the world," Harry mumbled while combing his hair with his fingers. "The American crew in memory charms got a diagnosis back about which spell was used on you. It was one where the spell strengthens traumatic stress disorder. The brain's automatic function of blurring a traumatic or stressful memory would be exaggerated so that you would never remember if you lived a happy, carefree life. But the awful long term effect was that if anything triggered the memory of what had happened, the cursed would have nightmares and possibly be driven insane."

            "Is there a way of removing it?" Ginny asked timidly. The spell didn't seem like one the memory department of the accidental magic reversal squad could accomplish.

            "Only crucio could undo what happened," Harry replied with his face stone set but his eyes were glimmering fear and discomfort. "The spell was created by a Latin American warlock during the civil wars in the region."

            "So I would need to be under the crucio curse to break this?" Ginny asked in disbelief. She definitely wanted the memories back. If it were absolutely horrific, she would at least be able to acknowledge that was what had happened rather then having it appear in the dream form when she wouldn't even decipher if it was real or not.

            "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. The only thing is the risk of you turning insane." _Well, that would be negative points for this. But do I really want to have nightmares plague me at random because something triggered parts of the memory?_ "You father was adamant about finding another way, but unfortunately, there is no other way."

            "It's my choice, isn't it?" Ginny asked. She needed to find out. The curiosity that was plaguing her instead of dreams made the danger of the crucio curse seem nonexistent. After all, wouldn't she have the risk of turning insane anyhow with the memory charm still on her? "I would like to get the spell off. You had said it might help explain where and why Aurora disappeared and that would aide the ministry in figuring out what happened in Latin America."

~*~*~

            Neither Harry nor her family was happy with Ginny's decision. In fact, no one was really thrilled about Ginny voluntarily going to get the crucio curse. Even Draco Malfoy had thought Ginny was insane in making that decision, but when Ginny shot back with the part concerning Aurora, the former Slytherin had backed down. 

            "You do realize that Potter would kill me if anything happened to you, right?" Ginny merely shook her head and told Harry to not hurt Malfoy no matter what happened. She wasn't getting her memory back for only Malfoy and Aurora. It would be a form of closure in a part of her life. The trek to the room for Ginny to receive the treatment, as the American experts had called, seemed like a funeral procession. Ginny was ghostly white while everyone else looked at the ground as they walked and remained silent.

            "I would suggest for you all to not observed this," one of the memory charm experts declared when Ginny's large entourage consisting of her father, her brothers, Harry, Draco, Remus, and Sirius. Hermione had wanted to be there, but Ron and Mrs. Weasley firmly said the scene wouldn't be good for her pregnant body. The entourage elicited a group snort and each took their firm hold position that told the doctor to bugger off because they were staying.

            The fact that they stayed didn't really matter. Ginny's screams would be blocked by a soundproof charm. But instead of hearing Ginny's the observers, or rather overseers of the memory charms experts' actions could only see the physical movement, i.e. a person squirming due to the excruciating pain.

            To Ginny's surprise, the spell had been placed on her during her least defensible moment. She had no preparation for receiving the pain, but the lack of defense allowed for easy stimulation of pain receptors. She had screamed in the beginning, but the pain had filled her mind and she couldn't even hear herself. Not knowing how she would deal with the indescribable feeling of pain, she decided to hug her knees to her chest and tuck into a ball. The fetal position had worked wonders with the monthly curses; it might as well help her deal with crucio.

             In not screaming for a release from the pain, Ginny felt her body grow as though it would explode. Wasn't it part of the purpose of the crucio curse to have people scream? Would screaming actually make things better though? But something in Ginny's mind told her to bite her tongue and not let loose any sound. As the pressure seemed to get greater, she felt torn. When all sense of control seemed to be lost, her world became dark, an abyss of nothing.

            Then the nothingness changed to memories, dreams. She wasn't sure what happened, but she started remember a basement, stairs, sound of clicking heals, something upside down, a gorilla looking man. The images flashes in random order so fact that Ginny's couldn't make sense of them. The more she tried, the more she seemed lost. It was as though the thread of thought was slipping from her fingers as she slipped from consciousness.

~*~*~

            "Ginny?" an ethereal voice called. The sound had interrupted Ginny's mini movie of how her wedding would be like. The even was going to a small private affair with friends and family and the voice happened to call her right before the bride and the groom was supposed to kiss.

            "Huh?" Ginny mumbled trying to reconnect herself with the realistic world and end her desire to sleep in. "Where am I?" The room she was in lacked decoration. Turning to her side, there were some flowers and books and a half-full cup of tea. As she turned the other way, her face came in contact with a pair of green eyes, glasses, and nose. "Eep?"

            "You're awake!" Harry announced with a smile when he removed his head from the close proximity of Ginny's face. "Oh thank goodness!" Within moments of the exclamation, Ginny's healing room was filled with pretty much the entire Weasley clan, Harry and his "parents". Each was asking how she was feeling and what she wanted. According to Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley were about to bring the entire kitchen to the hospital because they wanted Ginny to have so much food.

            "How long was I unconscious?" Ginny asked when she heard that. Her mother wouldn't have made such a big fuss if she were only out cold for one day.

            "A week," came the reply from a medi-wizard, which Ginny remembered he was at her crucio treatment. "Now Miss Weasley, the rest was good for you so you may go home today. Just please do not do anything stressful and you should not have any fainting spells."

            "A week?" Ginny shouted, ignoring the comment about not being stress. "That's one week short for the wedding and I missed a column. Oh dear! This is not good. Okay people, let's go home, right now, this very instant!" She scrambled out of the bed and went to get her clothing that was stored in the closet in the room. "Come on, time is wasting!"

            "Ginny," Harry said calmly. "Lavender and Parvati have decided to help you out. Since your portfolio had everything in it, they have been taking care of things. Now remember, the doctor had asked for you to be carefree for a bit. Your brain just went through a lot. You pretty much babbled non-stop in your sleep." Harry's voice sounded like one placating a child, but it didn't annoy Ginny. It actually calmed her down, but she still insisted on going home – to Harry's house.

            "Gin, are you ever going back to your flat?" Percy asked self-righteously. It wasn't like Ginny and Harry were going to do something shameful. Figures Percy would be the one to comment about them living together. Ginny's flat in London was too lonely and had many memories with Aurora. It didn't seem like home when her pseduo-roommate wouldn't be returning.

            "Nope, staying in Harry's. I am very attached to the stray kneazles and Harry's maid." Not wanting to get Percy riled out on prenuptial actions, Ginny turned her attention on whatever she babbled. "So what did I say?"

            "Well, you said some a few names and some random objects. The other reason for you to rest is allotting time for you to reorganize your memory," Harry replied. "The ministry has request an interview in a week and a half."

            "So was it helpful?"

            "Do you see Malfoy here?" Harry asked with a grin. Ginny shook her head confused, not sure how his presence would explain anything. He could not be here because Ginny used the imperios on Aurora or something. "He's busy interrogating the people you've named."

            "Ginny!" two feminine squeals sounded. Ginny looked at the door to see Parvati and Lavender holding her portfolio. "You know, once we heard you were awake, we came right away. And guess what, apparently someone has decided to throw a public engagement party for you and Harry. I guess the people would like to celebrate for no apparent reason that really deals with them. Anyhow, I suppose the good news is that the it's for charity."

            Ginny looked at Harry in surprise. She hadn't noticed their wedding would be that big of a deal. It was like a national News Years Day celebration or the party everyone had when the Dark Lord was finally gone.

            "Did you?"

            "No." Harry now had a frown on his face. "Didn't you say you would love to get home?"

            "Ooh, we didn't mean to interrupt," Lavender mumbled slyly. Parvati gave the two a wink and dragged her friend out with the girl crying out, "Rest Ginny, we'll take care of everything!"

            "You know, I thought the whole fame thing would fade away," Harry said turning to Ginny after the couple had stared at the place where Parvati and Lavender made their abrupt entrance.

~*~*~

I'm getting a but frustrated with myself . . . the chapters aren't going very well. Especially this one. I am not very happy with it. *grumble*


	27. Engagement Party

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: Own nada!

~*~*~

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Engagement Party**

            It seemed as though the Ministry of Magic had labeled Ginny as an endangered being as well since Harry's orders for the next two weeks were to keep Ginny in bed and make sure she doesn't over exert herself. The redhead didn't really mind the attention so much, but being cooped inside for one week does get frustrating. By the end of the week, Harry had no more plans of keeping Ginny in bed so resorted to bringing up the subject of their charitable engagement party.

            "It's good to have a charity event based on us even though we never gave whoever started this permission," Harry started when Ginny was being adamant about going about doing something –checking on the table sets and the flower arrangement orders in Diagon Alley. "I suppose the only problem would be how are they getting profits from this? If they are selling tickets, it wouldn't really be a public party."

            "Do you really want the entire world to come see you putting a ring on my finger?" Ginny asked in surprise. "And besides, they're commercializing this. I don't like it."

            "Neither do I, but if it is a charity event . . ."

            "You even questioned it yourself, Harry," Ginny warned. Events like weddings and such are supposed to be private family and friends events. Certainly Harry was the hero of England because he got rid of a dark lord and is now trying to prevent the uprising of more lunatics, but that does not make his private life a responsibility of the public. "Besides, if we have a public engagement party, that would give permission for people to put our lives under public scrutiny. And then when we have out first child, there would be a big bash for his first birthday and such."

            "I understand that, but Parvati and Lavender seemed really excited about that."

            Ginny ignored it. It doesn't really matter if Parvati and Lavender were excited about the engagement party. It was her wedding after all, and a Ginny Weasley wedding was one that remained private. Therefore, the engagement party should be a private affair, if there would even be one.

            "How's Hermione?" Ginny asked wanting to get off the subject of a charity event/engagement party. It was more important to catch up on family news then whether or not the public liked the Ginny/Harry pairing.

            "Hermione is doing well. She should be arriving with Ron in a half an hour."

            "What? And you never told me until now?" Ginny exclaimed as she tried to dash around the house preparing to meet guests. It was getting difficult to move since Harry had latched on trying to get her to settle down. "Get off Harry, I know I am supposed to be rest but people need exercise as well!"

            "You got your exercise in our morning walk." The auror still didn't budge and now he had Ginny in a vice grip since she stopped wriggling. As Ginny pounded on her fiancé's chest trying to get freed, Harry unexpectedly kissed her. Well, perhaps it wasn't unexpectedly since Harry had done that many times to get her calmed and it would keep her so for a while, until Harry backed off attempting to not get chopped up in pieces if he shamed Ginny in anyway.

            "You've got to stop doing that," Ginny mumbled into the kiss. Harry had leaned back with a teasing smile.

            "You mean you don't like it?" Ginny rolled her eyes at the drama. "This is disastrous! I need to go out and practice a bit more until I am good enough for my soon-to-be wife."

            "Don't you dare Potter else you'll find yourself missing something," Ginny threatened with humor. "Besides, I think I liked too much that it is now a way for you to manipulate me. It's not fair."

            "Well, you have me wrapped around your finger as well. One second display of a puppy eye and I'll do whatever you want." Ginny pouted, which made Harry laugh. "Ack, it's that face again, I suppose I would need to fight back!" With a swift combination of bring Ginny closer and angling his head, the couple engaged in another intense session of mouth to mouth acts of affection.

            "Oh geez, that's my little sister!" the voice of Ron exclaimed which prompted an abrupt breakup. "My eyes! Spare my eyes!" Ginny and Harry looked at each other in confusion. Ron didn't act like that when Aurora played then into the situation of kissing.

            "Oh stop being so immature," Hermione chided, rolling her eyes.

            "Yeah, it's as though you've never done anything worse then kissing," Harry added. "I mean, you can't be that innocent if you got Hermione to look like that." This time, it was Ginny's turn to shriek.

            "My ears! My virgin ears and head and brain!" Ron got the hint and stopped his miming of an agitated person. "Ew! That was my brother you were describing!" Ginny exclaimed. Her face visibly proved the large volumes of blood rushing towards her cheeks. With one last shutter, Ginny tentatively looked at her brother and his _very_ pregnant wife.

            "How are you Ginny?" Hermione asked, prim and proper like nothing immature had happened and the redness of her cheeks were due to exercise rather than embarrassment. "So, any decision on the engagement party?" Ginny wrinkled her nose in dislike. The distractions returned to the topic of the charity engagement party.

            "You know, how are they making this charitable?" Ginny asked massaging the bridge of her nose. "Would it be like free meals for all who would like to go? Auction off tickets to the engagement party so the proceeds go to St. Mungo's or what?"

            "Not the free food deal, I am sure of that!" Ron exclaimed with dignity.

            "Tickets will be auctioned and the event would be highly monitored so no one could hurt England's national couple," Hermione explained. "I find it kind of annoying how they are auctioning off tickets. So much for it being a public event. Those who couldn't win the auction wouldn't get to go. Then you have a bunch of pompous warlocks and their wives going and probably making fun of the decorations and table arrangements."

            "Hermione, that's stereotypical!" Harry exclaimed, rather offended since he worked with most of those pompous warlocks and had to attend dinner parties where he met the wives. Before he could rant, either the pointed look from Hermione or the cutting motion from Ron stopped him from explaining further. 

            "Fine then!" Hermione replied with a huff that seemed a much bigger movement due to her current physical state. "Do you know if we need to get tickets as well?"

            "I hope not, but I need to check on that," Ginny said with a smile. It did give her an excuse to be outside. Of course, and she would get to work as well.

            "Hello Lavender, Parvati!" Harry's voice sounded from the farther corner of the living room, right by the fireplace. "I just have a quick question regarding the engagement party."

            "Oh, so Ginny has agreed?" came the giddy reply of Lavender. "Oh how wonderful! Okay, so what's the question?"

            "Does the family and friends need to go to the auction for tickets?" the fiery head of Lavender shook vigorously.

            "Nope, there's about fifty seats reserved for family and friends," Parvarti replied with her looking like she was reading something. "So we don't need to have people auction for seats unless fifty is not enough."

            "There are FIFTY seats for family and friends?" Ginny shouted in shock. "How many people would be there?"

~*~*~

            It was normal for Ginny to be shocked. On the morning of the engagement party, the _Witches Weekly_ made an announcement on how the engagement party for Ginny Weasley – soon to be Potter – and Harry Potter would be the biggest event since the celebration of the end of the Dark Lord. Approximately 300 people would be at the engagement party and it was planned by all the businesses involved.

            "Ginny, stop gawking at the headlines!" Hermione chided. If she could stomp her foot, she probably would have since they would be ten minutes late with the meeting with the ministry if they left at that second. "Oh come on! We are already late and then Harry would get really worried, then he would have a fit and then the rest of the day wouldn't be happy. Come on! We have a tight schedule." Ginny decided to move since listening to Hermione complain wasn't her favorite pastime, especially a pregnant Hermione.

            To her utmost dislike – the planner part of Ginny – the day was filled with a meeting with the Ministry Officials, followed by checking on the engagement party stuff, get primed up for the party, and then the party itself. Unfortunately, she had to do all that before 4:00 pm, when people would start going to the party.

            "Ginny! You're finally here!" Ron exclaimed as he hugged Hermione. "People are getting a bit restless, especially Malfoy. I think he believed Christmas came early."

            A briefing from Draco Malfoy and the other witches and wizards involved in the case regarding Aurora was what the meeting was. According to various interrogations series, the aurors found the information needed to say piece back Ginny's memory and how it connected with Aurora. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough information on what exactly happened to the auror.

            "So we'll continue to search for clues regarding the whereabouts for Aurora Classen," Draco Malfoy explained in conclusion. "And before any of you Weasleys get too revengeful – and you too Potter – Annabel Cardigan and her cousin Robert Cardigan are under custody of the ministry. We are hoping to get more answers out of them. There may be a lead concerning the rebels since the two used that group to drive Miss Classen away."

            "Thank you!" Ginny said with a smile. "So this is somewhat over. We just need to find Aurora and it would be the end of the story. Good. Why did that story seemed like an awful soap opera?" The entire audience laughed. With Ginny being well and very confident Classens guaranteeing the fact that Aurora Classen was safe, everyone could take a relaxing breath and focus on happy thoughts, like the upcoming wedding of one of the wizarding world's most eligible bachelor.

            "Okay, so now Ginny would need to get dressed up for the engagement party," Draco started. "Well, why don't we all go to lunch and go from there?" The work he had done seemed to pull him out of his misery. No one bothered to go against what the Malfoy heir said. After all, who would want to forego a free lunch?

            The café was buzzing with people. When the customers saw the famous Potter-Malfoy-Weasley group was present, the entire café filled up within fifteen minutes with well-wishers and strange ecstatic normal folk who somehow won auctioned tickets to go to the engagement party later in the day.

            "The café owner better be giving me 5% of his profits from people staring at our freak show featuring Ginny and Potter," Malfoy drawled eyeing the uncomfortable couple with a smirk.

            "Malfoy!" Hermione chided.

            "Just joking Granger. And besides, if it were for us, the man would not be striking it rich today. I chose this café because I thought it would be a nice quiet place to have lunch."

            "Ginny!" two voices squeaked from behind the diners. "We hear from people on the streets that the Potter couple were receiving well-wishes in Ben's Café so we came over. Why are you still here? You need to get ready for the engagement party as well as checking everything. The business people have been having cows because they are afraid you might not like it." Lavender and Parvati each took an arm of Ginny's and dragged her out of the café.

            "Erm, bye everyone. I'll see you tonight!"

~*~*~

            Ginny looked around the outside hall. It seemed as though the party was a maypole party, but of course, it was already in May and the sun was bright making everything glitter like fairies blessed each and every object un the dinning hall. The centerpieces on each table were meticulously placed and arranged. When Lavender and Parvati brought Ginny to look over the arrangements and such, people were still organizing the centerpieces, by hand too!

            "Do you like it Miss Weasley?" someone asked. Ginny was preoccupied with looking at all the decorations. Everything was elaborate yet it was simple at the same time. 

            "Gin, you might was to answer since the man is about to have a heart attack if you don't answer soon," Parvati whispered.

            "Oh? Yes! It's beautiful!" Ginny exclaimed with a smile. Then the rest of the workers looked up.

            "Pardon me Miss Weasley, but we know it's beautiful," someone from across the room shouted. "But do _you_ like it?" Ginny nodded.

            "I do, but I don't think we deserve to have everything so elaborate." The crowd of decorator cheered.

            "Now, about the food," another businessperson started. Ginny smiled again and shook her head.

            "You might want my mother to try them. She is the food expert!"

            So everything was settled. While Ginny was slightly late for the inspection, the time saved from trying all the various food catered shortened the time. In fact, she now had more time to get ready, under the supervision of Lavender, Parvati, and some world famous cosmeticians and beauticians. Whether or not the arrangement was a good idea, Ginny wasn't sure, but she was sent to different so-called booth for various part of her makeup.

            "You know, you are pretty much the princess of the wizarding realm since Mr. Potter is the prince according to everyone," one woman said.

            "Yeah, so you would need to be all primed up and pretty. No matter what you would like to make of that title, a part of your job would always be the pretty one next to him," another supplied while she fiddled with Ginny's dress.

            "Ladies, it's not like I'm marrying into a royal family. Honestly, this isn't the fifteenth century," Ginny complained. The hair stylist twisted her head back in place when she tried to move.

            "Now, don't you look beautiful?" the hair stylist gushed. "Mr. Potter would be so pleasantly surprised."

            Ginny frowned at the circle of fickle women around her. Was she supposed to play the role of Jacquelyn Kennedy – being pretty and smile? Harry obviously wouldn't let her do that. The very feminist-powered Hermione probably would have a fit if she heard what the beautician ladies were discussing.

            "Wow Ginny!" Lavender exclaimed. "You look absolutely wonderful! And jus tin time too. It is three-thirty. You should be with Harry welcoming people and such as well making some impromptu speeches about stuff."

            "Speech?" Ginny asked in shock. "Now? Impromptu? What am I going to say? This is supposed to be a family event and I don't really like the feeling of being a social puppet?" Lavender shrugged.

            "Sorry Ginny," Parvati replied after she made a mad dash into the room. "Your brothers came with your mother and I think they are going to give Mr. Hartman a heart attack with their threats about pranks and such. I caught them sticking in some canary creams around the decorations of the lemon squares."

            "So am I done here?" Ginny asked. "I believed I need to prevent my brothers from being immature." As though on cue, a blood-curling scream emitted from the outside hall.

            "YOU DESPICABLE, MANGY, UGLY, REDHEADED BEASTS!" an Italian voice shouted. "YOU HAVE RUINED MY BEAUTIFUL CAKE! Who changed my jasmine essence to dungbomb smells?" The ladies in the room all looked at Ginny.

            "So you see, I am needed out there," Ginny concluded with a shaky smile. "Thanks for the lovely makeover, tata!" The redhead ran out the room with another shout from the kitchens and the ladies shaking their head about how the run was going to ruin the entire beautifying procedure.

            "Well, I guess she didn't even need all that makeup and such anyhow . . ." the ladies trailed off with Lavender and Parvati nodding their heads.

~*~*~

            "Fred and George Weasley!" Ginny screamed at the top of her lungs. "Get over here right now! This is supposed to be my engagement party. Everything is supposed to be orderly. I do not need you to cause a series of heart attacks nor do I need you to ruin the decorations. Now, get over here right now before I get Mother to spank you."

            Ginny Weasley had given up looking for her twin brothers who were more like mischievous spirits than twenty-some years old businessmen. In the middle of the outside hall, among many people making last minute arrangements, the redhead decided to teach everyone what a redhead with a temper really looked like. The first generation of mischievous Weasley twins bashfully walked out of an obscure corner hoping to not infuriate their little sister more, especially when she sounded so much like their mother. 

            "Yes our beautiful, smart, almost-married, little sister?" Fred and George said together like two boys found with their hands in the cookie jar. "You know, you would be a very good mother since you sounded so much like our mother for a moment there." Ginny looked at her brothers silently.

            "Well, it was compliment really," George amended.

            "Yeah, you don't nag as much as Mother," Fred concluded. Ginny still remained silent.

            "You know," Ginny started not looking at her brothers in the eye, usually a sign of Ginny trying to control her temper. "This is an engagement party for the entire England, I don't think it would be such a good idea to annoy the rest of the country by playing tricks on them. After all, you probably don't want people to start a campaign to outlaw your projects, right?"

            "But Gin," Fred whined. "I thought you didn't want this party. We could make it so interesting. Wouldn't it be nice to see some pompous git get turned into a canary?"

            "Yeah, we worked so hard on making it look like a delicacy." Ginny looked around for Harry since he was supposed to be with her soon to welcome guests. "You know, Harry even liked it idea of making people look like canaries at an engagement party."

            "Virginia Weasley!" a lady who looked and acted like the epitome of an upper class woman with many divorces at the young age of thirty-five waved. The three Weasleys looked at each other and groaned.

            "So about that canary cream . . ."

~*~*~

_Um . . . I am at a loss actually. Judgment on what I write is welcome. In fact, I am at a slight crisis – how do you define writing well? Pfft! Well, I think there would be one more chapter left, obviously about the wedding. I was thinking of more canaries, some false alarms, a massive campaign for the W.W.W. shop, and some bouquet accidents._

_Maybe some fluff, if I am in the mood._

_Hmm, to all the people who made this possible, meaning made it possible for me to finish this story. Remember I welcome comments of any sort. Please tell me what's on your mind. It would be lovely to get lots of input so I might be able to fix my slight crisis._

_Thank yous:_

_Loopyloony: No problem. I don't mind advanced warnings when I have time. I only worry about annoying people with them ^^. Well, I suppose you could say Draco's dilemma is fixed. _

_Beauty Eclipsed: Thanks! It did make me feel a lot better about the chapter._

_LuthienGranger2004: Thank you, glad that you like it._

_Rara: Hm, Ginny lost her memory due a memory charm, and that memory was during the time she was kidnapped. So I guess the chunk of memory was about a month worth of events. Basically who were involved in her kidnapping._

_Simple Confusion: I liked the proposal too, especially embarrassing Harry Potter. I think he deserved to get a healthy dose of that in the books. Too much fame needed to be countered with humility._

stellar7blue: Nope, reading for 8 hours for a graduate student with tests coming up wouldn't be good, but I have to say I am very flattered that you took the time to read all of it. The advice you gave, well, it certainly did a lot for my ego. And thanks so much although I don't think I really deserve the high praise. As for being a writer, let's just say I'll see if I could publish one book. I have an omnipresent reality check – a close friend of mine's mother is a writer. She knows how difficult it is for books to get published and be successful. As for Aurora, she's kind of like a symbol, I guess. There's a reason why she's American, but that's really a personal POV, one that I won't impose on anyone else. Well, good luck on your studies!

CollegeSmurf: Thanks for being the hidden reader. ^^ Well, wedding is coming up next.

Aindel S. Druida: Ah, mi amiga en los tiempos malos. Don't even bother to try to understand that. I am not sure if I have the proper grammar. Anyhow, it's only two days until Christmas Eve. I have started on your special story, I suppose Draco's epilogue. Hm, have fun watching Les Miserables . . . I envy you. *sniffle*

Shahrezad1: Thanks, not to sound immodest, but I tend to be interesting. I have had various words that related to that word to describe me by many people already. Not sure if it's good news.

Purple Spotted Hedwig: Thanks for the suggestion. I think I could finish this story. Besides, when I do finish, it would be officially the first story I have ever completed, at least multi-chaptered ones. ^^ See why I am hesitant to as for help?

Serenity55: Very reassuring – not sarcasm – thanks!

Well everyone, three days until Christmas! Yeehaw!

~Omnifarious


	28. wedding! Finally

The Wedding of the Boy Hero 

**Disclaimer**: Own nada!

**Author's Note**: Okay, so I finished this chapter in between from 10 to 11 am, lunch, making dinner, and took time from sleep. I now have it finished officially on Christmas Eve (1:00 am). Yeah, it was a writing marathon.

~*~*~

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: I – (someone sneezes) . . . I – (someone is bawling) . . . Sure, why not**

            The engagement party left Ginny and Harry exhausted. While the ministry just deemed Ginny back to full health, the charity party drained the couple all of their energy, at least in being social. From the engagement party that seemed for like a social zoo until the wedding, Ginny and Harry spend unthinkable numbers of hours together. They seemed so attached that even Mrs. Weasley was afraid they might be sick of each other before the wedding could happen. And that would be awful since Ginny and Harry should be married. While Ginny still wrote her weekly columns, Harry's responsibilities all rested on the shoulders of a certain Slytherin. Draco Malfoy had said he needed to extra workload to get things off his mind.

That was how Harry and Ginny were seen lounging around London and Diagon Alley often. Certainly they had some more well-wishers, but their most frequent visitors would be Lavender and Parvati since they were the one organizing the wedding since Ginny's confrontation with the ministry doctors and stranger foreign spell research team. The place to see the soon-to-be-wed was Ron and Hermione's house. It was the meeting place for all that's involved in the wedding since Hermione was the least mobile of all the people in the wedding.

"You know, I was hoping this lump of life would get out of me after the wedding. I mean, then I would have to carry it across the aisle!" Hermione complained as she gently poked her bulging stomach.

"Hey, careful with that, you have my son in there!" Ron shouted. Everyone laughed when Hermione glared at her husband. It was an argument that happened whenever the discussion of the clothing at the wedding came up. "If you really don't want to walk down the aisle as the matron of honor then don't."

"Watch it Weasley!" Draco Malfoy retorted. "Just because you aren't the best man don't get so riled up about it. Hermione is allowed to complain about her figure. Besides, you're not the one carrying the 'lump of life' so shut your trap!"

            The conversation always went towards that direction. As a result of some strange bet between Harry and Draco, the Slytherin ended up becoming the best man at a Gryffindor wedding. It had something to do with the fact that Harry was playing the groom at the Malfoy-Classen wedding. Apparently Ron was slightly unhappy with that arrangement since he was Harry's best friend yet Malfoy was the best man at the wedding. It didn't settle well with common logic, then again, how many aurors had what most people called was logic anyhow?

            "Alright people!" Ginny exclaimed full of laughter. "This is what, the fifth conversation about the same topic in four days? Now, can we stop acting so immature and get on with it? Lavender and Parvati still has lots to do and they only two weeks before the wedding is here." The room became silent at that reminder. Right, only two weeks to have the rehearsal, get the food ready, make sure people understood that it was going to be a Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley wedding, not a Draco Malfoy and Aurora Classen wedding. Ginny couldn't count the number of times Lavender and Parvati had came to her complaining about the stupidity of businesses.

            "Right," Parvati began after the room quieted. "We have the first rehearsal on Monday of next week. That is July 10th for your calendars. Remember, everyone needs to show up for this so we can decide if we need to schedule another rehearsal. We don't want a repeat of our last year at Hogwarst – not yours, Ginny – so everyone: please be prepared. Know you speeches and whatnots pretty well." Parvati's reminder about the year of Harry's graduation made all the graduate of 1998 winced. The speeches were good if the fact that people didn't actually listened and the speakers – particularly Harry – didn't really know his speech well enough were disregarded. The prefects had voted for the Golden Boy to make the last speech since he was the key behind defeating Voldemort even if his efforts weren't as great as some.

            "So Harry, this mean YOU must get your vows down to the commas and periods, got it?" Lavender said menacingly. Of the two wedding planners, Lavender was the more romantic one. If the groom butchered his vows, she would cry about how everything was ruined, but if the groom stuttered during the beginning of his speech to his wife during the reception, Lavender would have had tears in her eyes because it would be, "so romantic!" Though of course, he would have needed to know the rest of the speech fairly well.

            Ginny patted Harry's leg when he started getting nervous because of Lavender's silent threat. She had to admit it was unnerving when a usually bubbly face suddenly turned dark and threatening. It was like a little girl's doll was actually a murder in disguise.

            "Now, the next subject," Parvati announced. "Our last fitting would be on the 28th. That's one day before the wedding. It would be nice for everyone to show up since I think people would want to have their clothes fit at the ceremony."

            "I get this feeling that we might need to alter some things, so people, go there at least fifteen minutes early or I'll be charging through your house with Unforgivables at the tip of my wand," Lavender amend. "This wedding has to be perfect."

            The wedding had to be perfect. Ginny and Harry certainly deserved it. But for a wedding to be perfect, everything must not only go smoothly, but quick thinking must cover any diversions from the plan so that it does go seemingly smoothly.

~*~*~

Rehearsal 

            July 10th came soon like all dates people were dreading. It wasn't that Harry and Ginny didn't want to get married. The problem was mainly due to people's fear of Lavender. She had made the wedding her personal project for the ultimate romantic event and no one wanted to ruin that dream for her. Right before Ginny and Harry were to apparate to the hotel in which the wedding was going to be held, Harry was a nervous wreck.

            "Ginny, you have to promise me you won't let Parvati or Lavender kill me," Harry pleaded. Ginny looked at her fiancé with a wry grin. "I can't guarantee I won't mess up, but I can guarantee I won't mess up royally!"

            "If you don't mess up royally I don't think they would care," Ginny replied rolling her eyes. Her two friends and substitute wedding planners had succeeded in making the entire male portion of the wedding entourage afraid of them. Harry was afraid of them for obvious reasons – he lacked the charisma in public to carry him through Lavender's empty threats. But for Draco Malfoy, the silver-tongued socialite that has been able to charm every single girl at Hogwarts during his time after sixth year, he was even afraid of Gryffindor's own smart ditzes.

            "But Gin, even Malfoy's afraid of them," Harry whined. "If Mr. Confident is suffering from confidence withdrawal, do you really think I would be able to pull off a spectacular vow with those two harpies burning a four holes in my back?"

            "You'll do fine Harry," Ginny reiterated for the umpteenth time since Lavender and Parvati became General Perfection and Lieutenant Precision. She wasn't sure why Harry, Ron, and even Draco let along Neville and Seamus were so afraid of her wedding planners. "Harry, remember: this is our wedding. As long as we are married, I don't have a problem with this. Quite acting like a coward or we'll really be facing the wrath of Lavender and Parvati since we will be late if we don't hurry."

            That comment did get Harry to move on. During the pre-apparition process and the walk to the hall for the rehearsal, Harry kept on mumbling to himself "this is our wedding. If we get married we'll be fine. This is our wedding. If we get married we'll be fine . . ." Ginny's response was shaking her head. Since when did world famous aurors became afraid of two impromptu wedding planners? It was just a rehearsal and the event is only a wedding. It was like stumbling in the wedding would be the end of the world.

            "Ah! You're here!" Lavender shouted and rushed to give Ginny and Harry a bone crushing hug. No one expected the petite girl to carry that much strength, but then again, no one expected to be as strict as a general when it came to organizing the wedding of two close friends. "We thought you got mobbed or something!" with that, Lavender shot a glare in Draco's direction. "Okay, we could start now!"

            The two wedding planners ushered the couple to the rest of the group and started the giddy role of wedding rehearsal directors. It took the two and the man from the ministry to make the marriage official thirty minutes to set up everyone in their "proper" place and another five minutes to teach people how to walk down the aisle with dignity and power. It seemed as though the man from the ministry worked wonderfully well together.

            Everything did seem to go as planned, but Lavender's premonition about how there would be problems had to be true. After all, she was somewhat gifted with the third eye so her divination skills were at least more trustworthy than the junk Professor Trelawney spews out on a daily basis. After nearly an hour of standing up, a surprised squeak from the row of bridesmaids interrupted the beginning of Harry's vows.

            "Oh dear!" Hermione exclaimed with a frown. "This is not good . . ."

            Upon hearing the usually poised woman interrupt the wedding rehearsal alerted the group that something definitely was wrong. With the fact that she was well into her pregnancy and it was normal for the contractions to start, chaos inevitably happened. Ron went into hysterics with Harry – and Hermione of all people – trying to calm him down. Thankfully, there were enough people to restrain the startled Weasley so he would regain his sanity as well as common sense.

            "Ow!" Ron had started jumping around like a supercharged pixie again. Hermione's wails of pain and her rather frustrated attempts of calming her husband didn't do much to settle Ron. Ginny decided to leave her sister-in-law's side to give a good thwack to her brother. Using a spell commonly used by aurors to hold still unruly criminals, Ginny managed to lock Ron firmly on the wall.

            "Now listen to me Ronald Weasly!" Ginny said sternly with her brother's eyes bulging with each second of struggling against the magical bonds and his desperate squeals trying to reach his wife. "You losing your sanity and common sense are not going to help Hermione at all. Now I know the doctors have told you how to handle the situation. Now calm down and use. Your. Head!"

            The twins were right in that Ginny had the motherly authority rested within Mrs. Weasley. One lecture and all the men, at least Weasley men, managed to do exactly as she said as though they were put under _imperio_. When Ron did stop his struggling, which made him look like a limp Amazon primate, Ginny took off the binding spell.

            "Okay, so we get her to the hospital. And take the essentials, which we brought with us everywhere since last week," Ron said trying to keep calm. "We need to flag the Knight Bus or something."

            "Did that already," Draco Malfoy's voice replied as he replaced his wand in robes. "Carry her on to that thing and they are taking her to St. Mungo's right away." Everyone looked at the Slytherin in shock. How did he know what to do in a time of pregnancy issues? "You Gryffindors seem to lose you mind easily," he added when everyone seemed to stare at him. "Now, aren't you going to move Dr. Granger to the Knight Bus or am I going to have to do that?" Seeing as no one really moved, the Slytherin shrugged and walked near Hermione.

            "Don't you dare get near her!" Ron threatened. "I am taking her to the hospital. You people keep practicing." Everyone present gave a disbelieving look at the poor, frazzled Weasley. Perhaps his hysteria wasn't over yet. Without bothering to ask for permission, the entire group got on the Knight Bus and went to the hospital.

            At 8:03 P.M. on July 10th, Jordan Weasley was born. It was Hermione's idea to have a name where the baby could be either a boy or a girl, and to Ron's glee, the child was a boy. 

            And so the problems started happening. The fact that Hermione's lump shrank posed problems for the wardrobe ladies. Certainly the spell that allowed for a pregnant women to adjust, but the fact that Hermione gave birth brought about major headaches to the tailors and seamstresses.

            While Parvati and Lavender were about to turn insane because of the mania due to all the last minute planning, Ginny was taking a backseat to all the activity to observe all the activity around her. When she was planning other people's weddings, she hadn't noticed how crazy everything was. Then again, all of her clients didn't have pregnant bridesmaid, a crazy family, mischievous twins whose job was to create mass chaos, and on going rivalries between the wedding entourage. Ron never liked how Draco Malfoy seemed to befriend his best friend and the fact that the Slytehrin seemed to upstage him created more friction. It didn't help when Malfoy's "I am holier than thou" attitude seemed to be more prominent in front of her brother.

            "I can't wait until this wedding is over," Lavender said when the women decided to have an all girls' night right before the wedding whereas the men decided to have their bonding session – most likely Harry trying to prevent his best friend and soon-to-be brother-in-law from beating his coworker to a pulp or vice versa. Hermione was dragged along unwillingly, but with the advice that having her take care of Jordan with a group of girls would be a lot better than Ron taking care of the poor baby with his fury against a certain best man.

            "Yeah," Parvati agreed with a sigh. "No offense Ginny. We loved the experience of helping out with planning your wedding, but obviously this isn't our line of work." It obviously wasn't since all the male members who were part of the wedding were still afraid of the two. "That made us too high-maintenance. Ew!" Ginny laughed at her friends' comical expressions.

            "Well, think about having offers coming up one after another," Ginny replied wrly. "Sometimes I want to quit too, but it was my only source of income until now."

            "It was a healthy bit of income," Hermione chipped in. Since she was apart of dinner discussions at the Weasleys, she knew how Mrs. Weasley seemed a bit disappointed with Ginny's business of organizing large social events. "Besides, it certainly was fun to prove how Weasleys had class and see certain pompous people with sour faces of defeat."

            "Oh right! That picture of Mr. Malfoy!" Lavender exclaimed. "I had that posted on my wall for a bit to laugh at when I had a bad day . . ."And the girls had fun night reminiscing about life before this day. Unlike a typical sleepover when they were young, everyone was sent to bed at 10:00 P.M. so they would look well rested and shine for big event.

            Unfortunately, with little Jordan, things didn't go as plan . . .

~*~*~

The pre-Wedding 

            July 29th came too early for Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Ginny. Jordan's midnight demands and early morning cries not only kept his mother awake through most of the night, but the roommates all felt the effect of the baby gurgles and ear piercing cries.

            "I am so sorry," Hermione said for the fifth time since everyone woke up. Breakfast wasn't even served yet. "That was one reason why I didn't want to come." Ginny and the others just waved off the excuse. It was normal for the baby to cry at obscene hours of the night and early morning, but they made the decision to deal with it.

            "It's fine Hermione," Ginny reiterated. "We will look fine. Even muggle makeup could cover circles under the eyes if we had it. Don't fret. This just gives us all another lesson on being a mother."

            "Yeah, Ginny. Are you planning on being one soon?" Trying desperately to maintain her dignity, Ginny tried to keep her cheeks from flaming. "You and Harry haven't done anything yet?"

            "Alright, let's stop the banter since we need to get there in five minutes!" Hermione exclaimed. "I don't think the people doing the beautifying job would like the fact that we'll be late."

            "Oh please don't let them be like those women at the engagement party. Honestly, it felt like a trip back to the eighteenth century or earlier," Ginny complained as everyone got their clothes and wand for apparation and in Hermione's case, calling the Knight Bus.

            The process of getting ready for the wedding was longer than it took for the engagement party. Not only were the dresses more elaborate, but the hairstyles also took longer and to Ginny's expected disliked, it took longer to have subtle makeup than to have creams thickly layered on her skin. The fact that she did not sleep very well was not ignored by the make up artists. She wasn't sure if she should be annoyed by their various styles of speaking or if she should be in awe of their artistic genius.

            "You look like a fairy queen, Miss Weasley!" one of the cosmeticians announced when they were done with her make up. Ginny looked at herself in the mirror. She did seem like a fairy with the pearl white dress with an outer layer that shimmered in multicolor. It seemed as though if the light hit her dress at the correct angle, she would be sounded by a rainbow aura. The pale colored makeup made her seem more ethereal. She was pale naturally so the light blush placed on her cheeks made illuminated her face. Her eyes were brought out by eye shadow that ranged from pink to blue with some green and yellow.

            "Now we send you off to get your hair done!" Before Ginny could thank them, she was pushed out of the make up room and one of the artists led her to the room where the hair stylists were. When Ginny entered, her bridesmaids and matron of honor were already getting their hair put up in a uniform fashion.

            "Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed in awe. "You look magnificent, Ginny! Boy, let's hope Harry doesn't trip down the aisle!" Lavender and Parvati agreed vehemently by nodding their head to the chagrin of stylists. In seconds, Ginny found herself seated in front of more mirrors to observe how people would be altering her hair. With complicated weaves and braids and twists, the stylists then wounded the different strands of hair onto a metal wire, which was connected to her veil and train.

            "My, you do look beautiful!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed when it was time to have the mother-daughter chat right before the wedding. Within moments, the older woman's eyes were shinning with tears. "Oh my baby girl is all grown up now!" Ginny blushed at her mother's outburst. Although it was typical of mothers to gush at their daughter's wedding, it was still embarrassing nonetheless. "Okay, I am going to stop now and go check on Harry. I hope he keeps half an eye on his steps instead of gawking at you so we won't have any injuries." With that, she left to leave time for the rest of Ginny's pre-wedding visitors.

            _Let's hope Harry won't trip down the aisle . . . keep half an eye on his steps . . ._

            Ginny shook her head at the exaggerations. She certainly did look and feel pretty, but her appearance shouldn't have that big of a change. If Harry hadn't really stuttered when she was in her normal self, the most he would do would be stuttering. Taking one look at herself, she decided that she did not beautiful, but not enough to send Harry to the hospital.

            "Oh dear Merlin!" another voice exclaimed to invade Ginny's personal thoughts. "I can't believe that's the littlest Weasley standing in front of me!" Ginny scowled and turned to look at the speaker. Of course, even though Draco Malfoy was civil to her, he still lacked the skill to not offend the Weasleys in any way by speech. Which probably explained why he wasn't with Harry at that moment.

            "Not the youngest. The youngest would be Jordan," Ginny replied with humor.

            "You'll definitely send Potter into a shock," the Slytherin continued. "We Malfoys know what beautiful and sophisticated. And you, my dear, are exactly that right now. I think I may need to report back to Potter now of what to expect. So he really doesn't trip and kiss the ground instead of kissing you."

            "Is this why you came? To spy on me?" Ginny asked tilted her head. The movement made some jingly sound and it was the she noticed there were tiny bells on her veil.

            "Actually, your brother was about to skin me alive and then pick me apart muscle by muscle, bone by bone and you future husband is acting like he's about to end his life any moment. So I was sent over for the health of your brother and your fiancé by Remus and Sirius." Ginny's eyes widened with worry. She hadn't thought about Harry wanting to back out of the wedding. Their case seemed highly likely since everything was rushed.

            "Don't worry your pretty little redhead," Draoc Malfoy continued softly. "He's just nervous, like you probably. It's natural. Besides, the only matter he was raising his blood pressure over what you backing out. Which reminds me, I was sent by the order of King Harry Potter to get a sample of the Lady's handwriting to prove to him that she still wants to marry him." Ginny raised a delicate eyebrow in disbelief. According to Aurora, a Malfoy with dramatics was not exactly a very trustworthy Malfoy.

            "A sample of my handwriting?" Ginny asked. "Is this a weird ploy to get Harry all worried because you now have a sample of my handwriting and probably could create a letter telling him the exact opposite?"

            "No," Draco replied too innocently and too rapidly. "Your brother would probably kill me if I had done that and quite frankly, I still have a life goal which I haven't fulfilled." The teasing gleam in his eyes disappeared and Ginny felt some of her own joy turn into neutral feelings, if not sadness.

            "How are you doing?" Ginny asked softly. If nothing had happened in the spring, this would have been his wedding, his glorious day where he would be wondering about his bride. Ginny and Harry would be the ones teasing Draco Malfoy, not the other way. _It must be hard to have one mission and one threat take away your fiancée,_ Ginny thought to herself.

            "No need to worry, Little Weasley," the Slytherin replied equally quiet. "Part of your wedding present is to get Aurora back. I suppose it's for selfish reasons as well, but I figured we would both benefit. Now, I am sure she must have complained about my stubbornness and my spoiled childhood since _all Malfoys get what he wants_ and I want her back whether she likes it or not." Ginny wasn't sure if that obsession was healthy, but at least he still had faith. At least there still were people who were still holding on the belief that Aurora would be back when the time comes, or at least Draco would drag her back.

            "Was there any particular reason you are calling me by various versions of my last name all of the sudden?" Ginny asked with a frown. "I thought Aurora and I had drilled it in your head that weasel wasn't a compliment and saying Weasley derogatively would result in serious pain?"

            "Well, I only have this last few hours to do so before you become Mrs. Potter," Draco replied matter-of-factly. "It's my last few minutes of fun. Pothead was for Potter while we were at Hogwarts. Now we have to be civil because we work together so once you are a Potter, I would need to spend my precious time trying to create a new way to mock you name which I could spend chasing after a certain someone."

            "Draco?" Remus and Sirius's heads popped from the door. "Did you get Ginny to write that damned sentence yet?" Sirius asked. "Honestly, Harry's was worse than James when he married Lily. I think it had something to do with the fact that the brides were redheads."

            "Just give me a second and I'll write the note," Ginny replied shaking her head. Draco handed her a small piece of paper and a pencil. "Here."

            "Can you believe she thought I would be playing a joke on poor Harry?" Draco asked Harry's former guardians in disbelief. "She thought I was going to play a joke on Potter on his wedding day!" With all four chuckling, the incoming bridesmaids and matron of honor kicked the men out of Ginny's room.

            "What are you doing here?" Lavender asked, ghastly white for a moment. "The wedding is about to start and you three are chatting with Ginny?" Before Lavender could continue, Draco pushed the two older wizards out whispering for them to not get on the nerves of Lavender and Parvati and just do exactly as the wedding planners say.

~*~*~

            The wedding was spectacular as expected. The outside lighting was perfect for the ethereal feeling. When the ceremony started, it was nearly sunset and as the ceremony started, the sunset had hit Ginny's dress perfect way to create a rainbow that surrounded her. The flower girl's, Bill's part veela daughter's sporadic showers of petals that actually maintained the fact that Ginny had flowers falling around her all the time contributed to the midsummer feel when the fairies flourished. She walked down the aisle with her father on her side with the poise and confidence practiced the afternoon right before Jordan's birth. Neither forgot their vows and to Lavender's joy, Harry managed to be romantic and mess up his vows. 

            However, like the premonitions before, the wedding had a few glitches. Harry did trip over his own feet when it was time for the married couple to march down the aisle. He didn't actually fall to the ground since many people had expected that reaction from him that five pairs of hands came to his rescue.

            For the reception, Draco had left early because of his personal plans since an owl invaded the party with a note. But Ginny didn't mind, as long as she still had the chance of getting her best friend back. On the other hand, she never had much time thinking about Draco leaving early since other guests kept her occupied. Friends and family shared feelings of relief as they are "finally married." The few press allowed at the wedding were stupid enough to get confused about who was actually getting married and felt the wrath of both sets of Weasley twins with the younger set becoming closer to being the heirs of the W.W.W. empire.

            As for the fateful wedding night, it shall end with – they had fun. Draco managed to give them their secret gift of a rather frisky nightgown and lingerie set for Ginny. Ginny's reaction was to blush furiously, but Harry was torn between wanting to throttle his coworker or be happy that the other had the nerve to do something he wouldn't have done until after the honeymoon.

~*~*~

Does it end here? Well, I suppose I shall have an epilogue sometime later. Maybe I would have something completed when I get back. You never know. But just in case, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and stuck by me as I complained.

To tell you the truth, this chapter seemed rushed. I may rewrite it and separate it into two chapters or something. Pre-wedding day and wedding day.

I have no time to personal thanks – I'll post them up when I get back from vacation. But thanks all!


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